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1.
Wetlands are ecologically and economically important ecosystems with high conservation value. Although wetland vegetation is strongly determined by abiotic factors, grazing disturbance may also be an important influence on this community. We evaluated the effects of livestock grazing on wetland vegetation in marsh and wet meadow zones in intermountain depressional wetlands in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. We sampled marshes and wet meadows in 36 wetlands along a grazing intensity gradient ranging from fully fenced and ungrazed wetlands to unfenced wetlands heavily grazed by livestock. The amount of bare ground was used as a surrogate measure of the intensity of livestock grazing. Vegetation community structure and composition was strongly associated with grazing intensity. Increased livestock grazing favored shorter-lived and smaller plants; conversely, the frequency of tall and rhizomatous species, which constitute the dominant plant species in these systems, declined with higher livestock use. The effects of grazing were more pronounced in the marsh than in the wet meadow. Associations between species richness and grazing differed between zones: native and exotic species richness showed a unimodal response in the marsh while in the wet meadow exotic richness increased and native richness showed no response. The relationship between exotic frequency and grazing was also inconsistent between zones, with a negative association in the marsh and a positive but weak association in the wet meadow. Grazing-related changes in vegetation along the grazing intensity gradient were substantial and may affect the habitat value of these wetlands for dependent wildlife such as breeding waterfowl. 相似文献
2.
《Land Degradation \u0026amp; Development》2017,28(4):1473-1481
Grazing by livestock supports millions of people worldwide, particularly in drylands, but has marked negative effects on ecosystem services and functions. In Australia, its effects on ecosystem services have not been fully quantified. We examined the extent to which grazing by livestock influenced supporting (productivity, habitat for organisms and biodiversity) and regulating (carbon cycling and hydrological function) services, using data from published and unpublished studies on livestock grazing from a large number of sites across Australia. Grazing reduced our measure of supporting services by about 20% and regulatory services by 8%. On average, grazing reduced plant productivity by 40%, habitat value by 20%, and biodiversity, hydrological function and carbon sequestration by about 10%. Habitat and productivity showed strong declines with increasing grazing intensity, and carbon showed strong declines at the lowest and highest contrasts. Hydrological function and biodiversity did not decline with increasing grazing intensity. Overall, the results indicate that livestock grazing leads to substantial degradation at a continental scale by reducing ecosystem services associated with habitat provision, biodiversity, and soil and water functions. Management of livestock grazing will be critical if we are to retain functional levels of ecosystem services into the next century. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 相似文献
3.
There has been increasing interest in potential benefits to be gained by restoring damaged peatlands, with the majority of funding currently being driven by the recovery of protected habitats. However, few data are available linking vegetation community declines with peatland drainage, and so the potential for recovery remains difficult to predict. Surprisingly, there is a similar paucity of research demonstrating the extent of drainage impacts on grazing conditions for livestock, despite this being a priority amongst land managers. We attempt to address these two knowledge gaps, first by investigating whether ditches in blanket bog habitat have improved or increased grazing for sheep, and second by assessing the impact of ditches on the condition of vegetation communities. At an extensively drained upland blanket bog in Wales, currently undergoing ditch blocking restoration, we collected vegetation and sheep occurrence data across five catchments and over 2 years. We present evidence that drained areas had remained relatively wet and were less preferred by sheep. Furthermore, our results show that while sheep preferred graminoid-rich areas, drainage did not increase the abundance of this species group. Drainage at the site has, however, resulted in some degradation in blanket bog vegetation adjacent to ditches; although at the landscape scale, historic high grazing levels appear to explain much of the current poor ecological condition of the site. We conclude that drain-blocking restoration should not reduce sheep grazing conditions beyond their current relatively poor state, and thus in this respect may not represent a threat to hill farming productivity. 相似文献
4.
Hans Jacquemyn Carmen Van Mechelen Rein Brys Olivier Honnay 《Biological conservation》2011,(1):416-422
Calcareous grasslands, most of which are man made and therefore depend on some kind of human interference for their maintenance, are among the most species-rich communities on Earth at a small scale. For many centuries, most of these grasslands have been used as extensive pasture. However, after 1900, and particularly from 1940 onwards, livestock grazing has declined throughout Europe leading to the abandonment of low intensity grasslands over large areas. To conserve the remaining grasslands or to restore recently abandoned grasslands, better insights about the effects of grassland management on above and belowground species diversity are needed. Here, we describe the results of an 11-year experiment to investigate the role of grassland management (grazing, mowing and abandonment) in determining species composition and diversity both in the aboveground vegetation and the seed bank of a calcareous grassland in Belgium. Species diversity declined by about 60% 11 years after abandonment, from 29 species m−2 to as few as 12 species m−2. Plots that were grazed remained constant in species richness, whereas mown sites lost about 20% of their original species. Abandoned plots were largely dominated by a few grass species, in particular Festuca rubra. Concomitant with changes in the aboveground vegetation, both the number of species found in the seed bank and seed density (number of seeds m−2) had changed significantly 11 years after abandonment. Species diversity and seed density were significantly lower in abandoned plots than in grazed or mown plots. We conclude that abandonment of calcareous grasslands may lead to rapid decline of plant species diversity both in the aboveground vegetation and in the seed bank. As a result, seed banks probably have a limited role to play in the restoration of recently abandoned grasslands. 相似文献
5.
The federally threatened California red-legged frog Rana aurora draytonii occupies both aquatic and terrestrial habitats in its adult life stage. The terrestrial activities of this species are not well known and require documentation to assist in the development of appropriate levels of protection under the US Endangered Species Act. We studied the terrestrial activities of radio-tagged red-legged frogs (n=8-26) inhabiting a coastal watershed in Santa Cruz County, California, during 1997-1998. In particular, we investigated (1) the use of terrestrial habitats by non-migrating adults in relation to season, breeding chronology, and precipitation, and (2) adult migration behavior, including seasonal timing, duration, distances traveled, and the use of corridors. Non-migrating red-legged frogs occupied terrestrial habitats briefly (median=4-6 days) following infrequent summer rains, but resided nearly continuously on land (median=20-30 days) from the onset of the winter wet-season until breeding activities commenced 1-2 months later. All of the non-migrating frogs remained within 130 m of their aquatic site of residence (median <25 m). Intervals spent on land were again brief during mid/late winter (median=1-4 days), despite frequent and copious rainfall. Adult migration to and from breeding sites occurred from late October through mid-May (wet season). We monitored 25 migration events between aquatic sites that were 200-2800 m apart. Short distance movements (<300 m) were completed in 1-3 days, longer movements required up to 2 months. Most migrating frogs moved overland in approximately straight lines to target sites without apparent regard to vegetation type or topography. Riparian corridors were neither essential nor preferred as migration routes. Frogs traveling overland occurred in upland habitats as far as 500 m from water. Approximately 11-22% of the adult population was estimated to migrate to and from breeding sites annually, whereas the bulk of the adult population was resident at these sites. Adequate protection of red-legged frog populations inhabiting relatively undeveloped landscapes is liable to be achieved by retaining an array of suitable habitat elements within at least 100 m of occupied aquatic sites, and by imposing seasonal limitations on detrimental human activities occurring within this zone. Specific protections for migrating frogs are probably unwarranted in forest and rangeland environments because dispersal habitat is ubiquitous and migrating frogs are widely distributed across the landscape in space and time. 相似文献
6.
为查明故道湿地大型土壤动物类群对不同湿地类型的响应,于2014年对豫东黄河故道的盐碱滩地、湿草地、芦苇湿地和林地4种类型湿地的大型土壤动物群落进行了调查。结果表明:豫东黄河故道不同湿地类型大型土壤动物群落的类群数和优势类群均存在显著差异,优势类群和主要类群的差异也反映出不同湿地类型环境的异质性。季节变化对大型土壤动物群落类群数、密度和多样性指数均有显著影响(P0.05或P0.01),且不同湿地类型大型土壤动物对季节变化的响应存在差异。湿地不同的土壤环境因子,尤其是土壤有机质、氮磷和土壤微生物生物量碳氮的含量与大型土壤动物类群数、密度和多样性间存在显著相关关系(P0.05或P0.01)。 相似文献
7.
Long-term changes in collembolan communities in grazed and non-grazed abandoned arable fields in Denmark 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
In order to explore long-term changes in microarthropod communities after introduction of livestock grazing in abandoned fields with herb–grass vegetation at Mols, E. Jutland, Denmark, soil and litter samples were collected from 7 pairs (blocks) of grazed and non-grazed plots over a period of 14 years. Sampling began just before fencing and initiation of cattle and sheep grazing in the spring of 1985. The total material included 76 collembolan species; 65 and 68 species were recorded in the grazed and non-grazed plots, respectively. The number of species recorded at individual sampling dates fluctuated considerably through the period. In the vegetation/litter layer the mean number of species per plot was significantly higher in the non-grazed than in the grazed plots at several sampling dates while in the soil no significant differences were observed. Grazing significantly reduced the abundance of total Collembola, three composite species groups and 12 species at one or more sampling dates. Only three species or species groups (excluding some accidental occurrences) showed significant population increment in response to grazing at one or more sampling dates, most pronounced towards the end of the study period. No species changed from being significantly highest in grazed plots to being significantly highest in the non-grazed plots or vice versa during the study period. Significant relationships between grazing pressure and grazing effect on population density were only found in the vegetation/litter layer and the combined vegetation/litter/soil strata but not in the soil. The three regularly occurring taxa that had highest population densities in the grazed plots were positively correlated with grazing intensity while this was not the case for the majority of those taxa which were most abundant in the non-grazed plots. Canonical correspondence analysis based on species composition suggests separate successional trends for grazed and non-grazed plots. Grazing pressure accumulated through the whole period from start of grazing and precipitation accumulated over one year preceding the sampling date were the most important environmental variables correlated with species composition. According to a permutation test based on a split-plot design water content of the soil measured at each sampling was not significantly correlated with the community development. 相似文献
8.
《Land Degradation \u0026amp; Development》2017,28(7):2030-2038
Rangelands are vital for wildlife conservation and socio‐economic well‐being, but many face widespread degradation because in part of poor grazing management practices. Planned grazing management, typically involving time‐controlled rotational livestock grazing, is widely touted as a tool for promoting sustainable rangelands. However, real‐world assessments of its efficacy have been lacking in communal pastoral landscapes globally, and especially in Africa. We performed landscape‐scale assessment of the effects of planned grazing on selected vegetation, wildlife, and cattle attributes across wide‐ranging communally managed pastoral rangelands in northern Kenya. We found that planned grazing enhanced vegetation condition through a 17% increase in normalized difference vegetation index, 45–234% increases in herbaceous vegetation foliar cover, species richness and diversity, and a 70% reduction in plant basal gap. In addition, planned grazing increased the presence (44%) and species richness (53%) of wild ungulates and improved cattle weight gain (>71%) during dry periods when cattle were in relatively poor condition. These changes occurred relatively rapidly (within 5 years) and despite grazing incursion incidents and higher livestock stocking rates in planned grazing areas. These results demonstrate, for the first time in Africa, the positive effects of planned grazing implementation in communal pastoral rangelands. These improvements can have broad implications for biodiversity conservation and pastoral livelihoods. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 相似文献
9.
闽江河口典型植被群落带及交错带植物—土壤体系中硅素的分布特征 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
为研究闽江河口湿地典型植被群落带及交错带硅素空间分布特征,以鳝鱼滩湿地为研究对象,于2015年7月由陆向海方向设置2条样带,对植物生物硅含量及储量分配比、表层土壤生物硅及有效硅含量进行测定分析。结果表明:(1)闽江河口湿地典型植被群落带植物生物硅含量均低于交错带,且不同类型植物硅含量差异较大(p0.05),其中芦苇、短叶江芏、互花米草和扁穗莎草硅含量分别为15.66,9.09,7.17,7.77mg/g。从空间来看,高潮滩不同植物生物硅含量均高于低潮滩。就不同器官而言,不同植物地上部分均高于地下部分,具体表现为枯体茎叶根,其含量分别为13.40,12.49,11.72,6.58mg/g。(2)交错带植物(短叶茳芏与芦苇)地下根系生物硅分配比大于地上各器官,而典型群落带植物生物硅分配比则与之相反。(3)湿地表层土壤近岸方向2条样带生物硅含量变化趋势基本一致,近海方向2条样带则呈现相反的变化趋势;由岸及海方向2条样带表层土壤有效硅含量变化趋势基本一致。研究表明,植物的生态学特性及其生长环境条件不同、地形条件和潮汐作用带来水文条件的差异对湿地硅素的空间分布具有一定的影响,这对研究河口潮汐湿地硅素生物地球化学循环有重要意义。 相似文献
10.
Jani Heino Risto Virtanen Jouko Saastamoinen Timo Muotka 《Biological conservation》2005,124(4):539-545
Many freshwater ecosystems face severe threats from anthropogenic disturbances, yet little is known about the degree to which their biotic communities have been degraded by human activities. We analysed temporal changes and persistence of bryophyte communities in 40 springs in eastern Finland by comparing field surveys conducted in 1986 and 2000. During that period, some springs had remained in a near-pristine state, while others had undergone varying degrees of disturbance from forest management, drainage, and water abstraction. Several spring bryophytes (e.g., Philonotis fontana) declined between the study years, whereas Sphagnum mosses (e.g., Sphagnum warnstorfii) increased in abundance. Species richness of spring bryophytes declined significantly from 1986 to 2000, irrespective of bryophyte group (spring vs. other bryophytes) and spring condition (severely disturbed vs. unaltered springs). Bryophyte cover also decreased dramatically from 1986 to 2000, but this effect was related to both spring condition and bryophyte type. Spring bryophytes lost much of their cover in severely altered springs, while in unaltered springs they remained relatively stable through time. No such trend was observed for other, habitat generalist bryophytes. Persistence and stability of bryophyte communities showed significant, albeit rather weak, relationships with spring condition, with communities in unaltered springs being more persistent than those in altered springs. Given the importance of springs to boreal forest and aquatic biodiversity, restoration of degraded springs is a major challenge to maintaining and conserving biodiversity of boreal landscapes. 相似文献
11.
基于遥感的郑州市黄河湿地植被覆盖度变化研究 总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0
城市滨河湿地的治理与保护对于城市生态环境具有重要意义,而监测植被覆盖度是研究湿地植被状况的重要方法。以郑州市黄河湿地为研究对象,采用等密度模型,基于1999-2011年的郑州市黄河湿地TM遥感影像,进行湿地植被覆盖度的反演,并结合降水数据和实际调研情况,分析了郑州市黄河湿地植被覆盖度的变化情况。结果表明,郑州市黄河湿地生态环境比较脆弱,研究期内平均植被盖度由60%下降到40%,典型黄河湿地植被遭到破坏。年降水的差异对植被覆盖度影响明显,同时越来越多的人类活动是导致植被持续减少的重要因子。该研究结果可为制定区域生态修复规划,提高黄河湿地的生态价值和经济价值服务提供参考。 相似文献
12.
黄河兰州段湿地植物多样性研究 总被引：2，自引：1，他引：1
兰州段黄河湿地在其城市生态系统中占有重要地位。采用样带和典型样方相结合的方法对黄河湿地3种生境系统进行实地调查,研究了兰州城市湿地的植物多样性。结果表明:(1)不同生境系统湿地植物群落以草本为主,乔木多以杨柳科的垂柳为主,灌木只调查到1科1种。过渡带湿地植物种类几乎涵盖了其他生境系统的所有物种。(2)近裸露湿地赖草、稗草、虎尾草的重要值分别达到16.336,14.112,11.723;过渡带湿地中芦苇的地位得到加强,近自然湿地中芦苇的重要值已达13.153,其常见伴生种如水芹、香蒲、罔草也具有一定的地位。(3)3种生境湿地丰富度指数,Simpson指数及Shannon—Wiener多样性指数大小依次为:过渡带>近裸露湿地>近自然湿地,均匀度指数与之变化趋势不一致。近裸露湿地与过渡带β多样性小于近自然湿地与过渡带,不同生境间的相异性也表现为近裸露湿地与过渡带小于近自然湿地与过渡带。 相似文献
13.
Ian N. Drinnan 《Biological conservation》2005,124(3):339-349
Fragmentation of habitat is recognised as the number one threat to biodiversity and as such has attracted considerable research. However, much of this research has been conducted in forestry and agricultural environments, with little research in urban areas. In this study, field surveys were conducted measuring the impact of fragmentation on bird, frog, plant and fungi species richness, within the fragmented urban landscape of southern Sydney. Of all fragmentation parameters examined, remnant area was the best and most significant predictor of species richness for all taxa studied. Remnant size thresholds, below which biodiversity declined rapidly, were observed at approximately 4 ha for bird and frog species richness and approximately 2 ha for plant and fungal species richness. A further threshold appears to exist at approximately 50 ha for the dominance of forest interior species. Further relationships were also observed for perimeter:area ratio, indicating the influence of various edge effects on all taxa. Isolation effects were observed in the form of an inverse linear relationship between distance to other large reserves and species richness for fungi, birds and frogs. Corridor connectivity also produced an overall positive relationship for birds, frogs and plants. It is concluded that the identification of fragmentation thresholds and relationships provides an important management tool for the design of networks aimed at conserving biodiversity in fragmented urban environments. 相似文献
14.
Including large herbivores in wooded areas is often seen as a useful conservation tool. Browsing intensities on saplings in seven upland birch woodlands grazed by sheep, cattle and wild herbivores were studied. The aims were to determine whether tree regeneration could occur in the presence of livestock, particularly sheep, and the conditions under which stock can be grazed sustainably within woodlands.The results showed that regeneration can occur at sites grazed by livestock. Within-site variation in the proportion of shoots browsed per sapling was high, but significant trends were detected. Browsing intensity was negatively related to good quality biomass per livestock unit, basal diameter and adjacent vegetation height. Saplings with a topiaried growth form were browsed more than saplings with a normal growth form.When writing management plans, stocking densities should be set in relation to forage quantity and quality. Understanding the relationship between good quality biomass per livestock unit and browsing intensity will facilitate more sustainable management of grazing within woodlands. 相似文献
15.
Conservation biology is mainly interested in prioritizing sites on the basis of their high biodiversity. Although species richness is a commonly used criterion, it does not take other crucial aspects of identifying conservation priority sites into account, such as rarity or taxonomic distinctness. Additionally, management efforts are usually focused on the conservation of a small number of species, mainly vertebrates. However, the biodiversity patterns of these faunal groups and the main factors which determine them cannot be generalized to other faunal groups (e.g. aquatic invertebrates). Therefore, the objectives of the present study are: (1) to compare the response of 11 biodiversity metrics in order to know which ones are redundant, (2) to identify key environmental factors for biodiversity, and (3) to find out whether sites with high biodiversity values also have a good habitat condition and high protection status. The study was done at assemblage level (crustaceans and insects) in 91 wetlands in the NE Iberian Peninsula. Regression tree models were used to identify the key factors influencing biodiversity, including water, wetland and landscape characteristics as explanatory variables. Generalized Linear models were used to establish the relationship between biodiversity metrics and protection status and habitat condition. The results obtained by the two sampled seasons were compared. Conductivity was the main factor influencing biodiversity metrics. Positive significant relationships were found between some biodiversity metrics and wetland habitat condition, whereas there were none for protection status, indicating the inadequacy of conservation policies to protect wetland aquatic invertebrate biodiversity. 相似文献
16.
V. F. Utkaeva E. B. Skvortsova P. M. Sapozhnikov V. N. Shchepot’ev 《Eurasian Soil Science》2009,42(2):151-161
Agrophysical properties of alluvial soils were studied in the floodplains of the Oka River and the small rivers of Besputa (the Oka tributary) and Pol’noi Voronezh (the Voronezh tributary). The properties of the soils under different land use types (plowland, hayfield, pasture, and meadow) were compared. The features and degrees of alteration of the properties of the floodplain soils under different uses were determined. The greatest changes in the properties were found for saturated alluvial meadow soils of the Oka River floodplain under plowland. In these areas, strong degradation of the physical status of the soils was noted: compaction of the plow and subplow soil layers, an increase in the content of coarse aggregates and clods, changes in the porespace structure, and a decrease in the soil water permeability. It was shown that the soils of small river floodplains were sensitive to anthropogenic loads. In saturated alluvial soddy soils of the Besputa River floodplain, the soil water permeability decreased because of their compaction under the impact of cattle grazing. Saturated alluvial meadow soils of the Pol’noi Voronezh River floodplain were resistant to anthropogenic loads. Only a tendency towards an increase in the topsoil bulk density was observed under the impact of cattle grazing. 相似文献
17.
Kendi F. Davies Brett A. Melbourne Craig D. James Ross B. Cunningham 《Biological conservation》2010,143(1):78-85
The expansion of the artificial water-point network and livestock grazing in arid and semi-arid Australia has significantly increased access to water by water limited herbivores and thus has potential to seriously negatively affect the unique endemic flora and fauna. We examined the effects of the expansion of the water-point network on the arid and semi-arid zone bird community, using data from the Atlas of Australia bird surveys of 1977-1981 and 1996-2001. We examined whether traits of species could be used to uncover the critical ecological processes altered by this land use change. We detected large scale declines in individual species. Species reliant on water for nesting and feeding declined more than other groups in the presence of high water-point density, likely through direct effects of livestock degrading habitat of both natural and artificial water points. The arid zone has no natural hoofed animals and livestock have significant impacts. Species that forage and nest on the ground also showed large declines, likely because of trampling and removal of vegetation by livestock and potentially through the indirect effect of water limited predators, dingos and foxes, expanding their ranges in response to the expanding network of water points in the landscape. This result was also apparent at large spatial scales so that these local-scale responses to water points translate into continental-scale population declines. Using traits of species to understand declines of bird species helped us to uncover which critical changes associated with the expansion of the water-point network most affected the bird community and therefore which species are most at risk. 相似文献
18.
Constructed ponds are an important consideration in the conservation of wetland biota in agricultural landscapes. Twenty-two natural ponds and 22 adjacent constructed ponds (farm dams) were surveyed on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales to compare patterns of use by frogs and develop frog conservation recommendations. Farm dams supported similar numbers of frog species to natural ponds, although differences in frog assemblage were observed between the pond types. Limnodynastes tasmaniensis and Uperolia laevigata were significantly more likely to occur at farm dams while L. peronii was more likely to occur at natural ponds. Results suggest waterbodies with high levels of emergent vegetation cover that lack fish are likely to support a high number of frog species, regardless of origin (i.e. natural or constructed). However, it is important for landholders to conserve natural waterbodies as these environments appear likely to support frog species that do not use farm dams. 相似文献
19.
M. Sheehy Skeffington J. Moran Á. O Connor E. Regan C.E. Coxon M. Gormally 《Biological conservation》2006,133(3):265-290
Turloughs are karst wetland ecosystems that are virtually unique to Ireland. Flooding annually in autumn through springs and fissures in the underlying limestone and draining in the springtime, often through the same fissures or swallow-holes, they have been described as ‘temporal ecotones’. Over 300 have been documented. They are priority habitats in the EU Habitats Directive and support a variety of wet grassland and fen type vegetation. Though the vegetation has been recorded and mapped for over 80 turloughs, records for invertebrates are more sporadic. Characteristic species include some aquatic species-often benefiting from the absence of fish-, and many wetland terrestrial species, including carabid beetles that are rare on a European scale. Due to their shallow nature and the full vegetation cover of the basin, turloughs can host internationally significant numbers of visiting winter wildfowl, particularly whooper swans. The variety of plant and invertebrate communities between turloughs is primarily due to different hydrogeomorphological characteristics, but also depends on the range of grazing practices on turloughs. Since these often vary within a turlough basin, this helps maintain within-turlough biodiversity. The main threat to turloughs in the past was drainage, but pollution by nutrients is also now potentially detrimental. However, a more recent and important threat may be the cessation of farming within turloughs. As potentially threatened wetlands of European importance, turloughs require a full inventory of their biodiversity and the factors affecting it. The collation here of all literature concerning turloughs will provide a basis for an integrated approach to future research on turloughs that is essential for a full understanding of these complex ecosystems. 相似文献
20.
The effects of grazing on the richness of understorey plant communities are predicted to vary along gradients of resources and tree cover. In temperate Australia livestock management has involved phosphorus addition and tree removal but little research has examined how the effects of grazing on plant species richness may vary with these management regimes. Patterns of understorey plant species richness were examined in 519, 0.09 ha quadrats in grazed pastures and remnant grassy forests and woodlands in southern Australia. Sheep grazing was the primary land use and sites varied widely in grazing frequency and density, tree cover and phosphorus fertiliser history. Using an information theoretic approach the available data provides strong evidence that the effect of grazing on total species richness varies according to available phosphorus and tree cover. Intermittent grazing and no grazing were associated with high total and native plant richness, but only at low phosphorus concentrations. Phosphorus was strongly negatively correlated with richness, particularly at low grazing frequency. Total species richness was positively correlated with tree cover except under frequent grazing at high stocking rates, suggesting that heavy grazing eliminates spatial and temporal heterogeneity imposed by trees. Native plant species richness was negatively correlated with a history of cultivation, positively correlated with tree cover and varied according to landscape position and geological substrate. Frequent high density grazing, particularly when associated with clearing, cultivation and fertiliser addition, was associated with the persistence of very few native plant species. In contrast, the richness of exotic plant species was relatively invariant and performance of the best model was low. While several studies have highlighted the importance of the grazed and cleared matrix for the conservation of native plant species, this benefit may be limited in landscapes where intensive grazing management systems dominate. Strong evidence for interactions between grazing, phosphorus and tree cover suggest that failure to consider other land use practices associated with grazing management systems could lead to erroneous conclusions regarding vegetation responses to livestock grazing. 相似文献