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31 results for “semi-natural grasslands”
Fig. 1 in Relationship Between Grazing Intensity, Vegetation Structure And Survival Of Nests In Semi-Natural Grasslands
Fig. 1. Daily nest survival rate (±SE) for artificial ground nests according to edge vs. interior and grazing intensity in three grassland regions of Hungary
Fig. 2 in Relationship Between Grazing Intensity, Vegetation Structure And Survival Of Nests In Semi-Natural Grasslands
Fig. 2. Grass height and vegetation cover (mean±SE) around predated and not predated (intact) artificial ground nests in Hungarian grasslands. (**: P <0.01; ***: P <0.001)
Data for Torppa et al. 2023 'Soil moisture and fertility drive earthworm diversity in north temperate semi-natural grasslands'
<p>The dataset consists of the data that supports the findings of the article 'Soil moisture and fertility drive earthworm diversity in north temperate semi-natural grasslands' written by Torppa et al. and published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment in 2023. The data consists of earthworm community data and environmental data related to soil, vegetation, management and landscape, as well as accession numbers to the earthworm specimens in BOLD and GenBank.</p>
Effect of green infrastructure on restoration of pollination networks and plant performance in semi-natural dry grasslands across Europe
<p>Agricultural intensification, afforestation and land abandonment are major drivers of biodiversity loss in semi-natural grasslands across Europe. Reversing these losses requires the reinstatement of plant-animal interactions such as pollination. Here we assessed the differences in species composition and patterns of plant-pollinator interactions in ancient and restored grasslands and how these patterns are influenced by landscape connectivity, across three European regions (Belgium, Germany and Sweden). We evaluated the differences in pollinator community assemblage, abundance, and interaction network structure between 24 ancient and restored grasslands. We then assessed the effect of surrounding landscape functional connectivity (i.e. green infrastructure, GI) on these variables and tested possible consequences on the reproduction of two model plants, Lotus corniculatus and Salvia pratensis. Neither pollinator richness nor species composition differed between ancient and restored grasslands. A high turnover of interactions across grasslands was detected but was mainly due to replacement of pollinator and plant species. The impact of grassland restoration was consistent across various pollinator functional groups, whereas the surrounding GI had differential effects. Notably, bees, butterflies, beetles, and dipterans (excluding hoverflies) exhibited the most significant responses to GI variations. Interestingly, networks in restored grasslands were more specialised (i.e. less functionally redundant) than in ancient ones and also showed a higher number of insect visits to habitat-generalist plant species. Landscape connectivity had a similar effect, with habitat-specialist plant species receiving fewer visits at higher GI values. Fruit set in S. pratensis and L. corniculatus was unaffected by grassland type or GI. However, the fruit set in the specialist S. pratensis increased with the number of pollinator visits, indicating a positive correlation between pollinator activity and reproductive success in this particular species. Synthesis and applications. Our findings provide evidence of the necessity to enhance ecosystem functions while avoiding biotic homogenization. Restoration programs should aim at increasing landscape connectivity which influences plant communities, pollinator assemblages, and their interaction patterns. To avoid generalist species taking over from specialists in restored grasslands, we suggest reinforcing the presence of specialist species in the latter, for instance by means of introductions, as well as increasing the connectivity to source populations.</p>
Afforestation and abandonment of semi-natural grasslands lead to biodiversity loss and a decline in ecosystem services and functions
<p>1. During the past century, semi-natural grasslands, once widespread throughout Europe, have largely been converted into intensively managed agricultural areas, abandoned or afforested. These large-scale land-use changes have already resulted in considerable biodiversity loss but can also lead to a decline in ecosystem service provision and ecosystem multifunctionality.</p> <p>2. We assessed the impact of afforestation and abandonment of semi-natural grasslands on the supply of ecosystem services in Western Estonia. We compared a wide array of services provided by open grasslands, abandoned grasslands, and afforested grasslands. Additionally, we analysed the impact of land-use change and species richness on ecosystem multifunctionality.</p> <p>3. Significant declines in the supply of pollination service, natural pest regulation, forage production, soil quality, wild food, and cultural appreciation of landscape were detected as a result of overgrowing or afforestation.</p> <p>4. There was a significant positive relationship between species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality, i.e. more biodiverse grasslands were able to support more services at a higher capacity.</p> <p>5. Results show that both grassland degradation due to abandonment, as well as grassland afforestation, have significant negative impacts on biodiversity, on the supply of multiple important ecosystem services and on the ecosystem multifunctionality.</p> <p>6. Synthesis and applications. Temperate semi-natural grasslands have high biodiversity and capacity to deliver multiple important ecosystem services simultaneously. Conservation and restoration of grassland habitats must be considered as an important part of sustainable landscape planning.</p>
Local and landscape environmental heterogeneity drive ant community structure in temperate semi-natural upland grasslands
<p>Environmental heterogeneity is an important driver of ecological communities. Here, we assessed the effects of local and landscape spatial environmental heterogeneity on ant community structure in temperate semi-natural upland grasslands of Central Germany. We surveyed 33 grassland sites representing a gradient in elevation and landscape composition. Local environmental heterogeneity was measured in terms of variability of temperature and moisture within and between grassland sites. Grassland management type (pasture vs. meadows) was additionally included as a local environmental heterogeneity measure. The complexity of habitat types in the surroundings of grassland sites was used as a measure of landscape environmental heterogeneity. As descriptors of ant community structure, we considered species composition, community evenness, and functional response traits. We found that extensively grazed pastures and within-site heterogeneity in soil moisture at local scale, and a high diversity of land cover types at the landscape scale affected ant species composition by promoting nest densities. Ant community evenness was high in wetter grasslands with low within-site variability in soil moisture and surrounded by a less diverse landscape. Fourth-corner models revealed that ant community structure response to environmental heterogeneity was mediated mainly by worker size, colony size, and life history traits related with colony reproduction and foundation. We discuss how withinsite local variability in soil moisture and low-intensity grazing promote ant species densities, and highlight the role of habitat temperature and humidity in affecting community evenness. We hypothesize that a higher diversity of land cover types in a forest-dominated landscape buffers less favorable environmental conditions for ant species establishment and dispersal between grasslands. We conclude that spatial environmental heterogeneity at local and landscape scales plays an important role as a deterministic force in filtering ant species and, along with neutral processes (e.g. stochastic colonization), in shaping ant community structure in temperate semi-natural upland grasslands.</p>
Local and landscape environmental heterogeneity drive ant community structure in temperate semi-natural upland grasslands
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Afforestation and abandonment of semi-natural grasslands lead to biodiversity loss and a decline in ecosystem services and functions
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Data from: The contribution of successional grasslands to the conservation of semi-natural grasslands species – A landscape perspective
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Grazing and mowing practices drive complex dynamics in the structure of butterfly communities in semi-natural grasslands
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Effect of green infrastructure on restoration of pollination networks and plant performance in semi-natural dry grasslands across Europe
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Inter-seasonal nitrogen loss with drought depends on fertilizer management in a semi-natural Australian grassland
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Data from: Rapid buildup of genetic diversity in founder populations of the gynodioecious plant species Origanum vulgare after semi-natural grassland restoration
In most landscapes the success of habitat restoration is largely dependent on spontaneous colonization of plant species. This colonization process, and the outcome of restoration practices, can only be considered successful if the genetic makeup of founding populations is not eroded through founder effects and subsequent genetic drift. Here we used 10 microsatellite markers to investigate the genetic effects of recent colonization of the long-lived gynodioecious species Origanum vulgare in restored semi-natural grassland patches. We compared the genetic diversity and differentiation of fourteen recent populations with that of thirteen old, putative source populations, and we evaluated the effects of spatial configuration of the populations on colonization patterns. We did not observe decreased genetic diversity in recent populations, or inflated genetic differentiation among them. Nevertheless, a significantly higher inbreeding coefficient was observed in recent populations, although this was not associated with negative fitness effects. Overall population genetic differentiation was low (FST = 0.040). Individuals of restored populations were assigned to on average 6.1 different source populations (likely following the 'migrant pool' model). Gene flow was, however, affected by the spatial configuration of the grasslands, with gene flow into the recent populations mainly originating from nearby source populations. This study demonstrates how spontaneous colonization after habitat restoration can lead to viable populations in a relatively short time, overcoming pronounced founder effects, when several source populations are nearby. Restored populations can therefore rapidly act as stepping stones and sources of genetic diversity, likely increasing overall metapopulation viability of the study species.
Data from: Flower resource and land management drives hoverfly communities and bee abundance in semi-natural and agricultural grasslands
1. Pollination is a key ecosystem service, and appropriate management, particularly in agricultural systems, is essential to maintain a diversity of pollinator guilds. However, management recommendations frequently focus on maintaining plant communities, with the assumption that associated invertebrate populations will be sustained. 2. We tested whether plant community, flower resources and soil moisture would influence hoverfly (Syrphidae) abundance and species richness in floristically-rich semi-natural and floristically-impoverished agricultural grassland communities in Wales (U.K.), and compared these to two Hymenoptera genera, Bombus and Lasioglossum. Interactions between environmental variables were tested using generalised linear modelling, and hoverfly community composition examined using canonical correspondence analysis. 3. There was no difference in hoverfly abundance, species richness, or bee abundance, between grassland types. There was a positive association between hoverfly abundance, species richness and flower abundance in unimproved grasslands. However, this was not evident in agriculturally improved grassland, possibly reflecting intrinsically low flower resource in these habitats, or the presence of plant species with low or relatively inaccessible nectar resources. There was no association between soil moisture content and hoverfly abundance or species richness. 4. Hoverfly community composition was influenced by agricultural improvement and the amount of flower resource. Hoverfly species with semi-aquatic larvae were associated with both semi-natural and agricultural wet grasslands, possibly because of localised larval habitat. Despite the absence of differences in hoverfly abundance and species-richness, distinct hoverfly communities are associated with marshy grasslands, agriculturally improved marshy grasslands and unimproved dry grasslands, but not with improved dry grasslands. 5. Grassland plant community cannot be used as a proxy for pollinator community. Management of grasslands should aim to maximise the pollinator feeding resource, as well as maintain plant communities. Retaining waterlogged ground may enhance the number of hoverflies with semi-aquatic larvae.
Data from: Non-random loss of phylogenetically distinct rare species degrades phylogenetic diversity in semi-natural grasslands
1. Although biodiversity loss is a critically important topic, our understanding of how both land abandonment and land-use intensification in semi-natural grasslands alters the community diversity and assembly mechanisms is very limited. Large-scale economic drivers of land-use change might inadvertently result in the loss of vulnerable species and reduce ecosystem services provisioning. 2. In this study, we assessed non-random community change by examining patterns of low-abundance species loss, and community assembly in semi-natural grasslands due to land abandonment and intensification in southwest Japan. We analyzed relationships between evolutionary distinctiveness and abundance for each species. In addition, we used metrics of species and phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure to assess patterns of non-random biodiversity loss due to both abandoned and intensified land-use. 3. We demonstrated that low-abundance species were more evolutionarily distinct compared to high-abundance (i.e., dominant) species. Furthermore, land-use intensification resulted in further declines in low-abundance species, whereas land abandonment resulted in declines in all species, regardless of their initial abundance. 4. We found that both forms of land-use change (abandonment and intensification) resulted in non-random patterns of community change, with traditional land-use maintaining the highest biodiversity and land-use change coinciding with decreased species and phylogenetic diversity measures. Intensified land-use caused phylogenetic community structure to be more closely related than expected by chance, whereas the metrics of how distant species are from one another on average based on phylogenetic tree (i.e., mean pairwise phylogenetic distance) did not change from land abandonment. 5. Synthesis and applications. We show that the loss of phylogenetic diversity, and especially of low-abundance species with high value of phylogenetic distinctiveness, resulted in non-random community disassembly. Our results argue that in order to maintain biodiversity in these semi-natural grasslands, traditional management practices should be encouraged over intensification and simple abandonment. Government agencies should adopt policies or provide incentives that encourage the maintenance of traditional practices in rural Japan, and elsewhere where the combination of land consolidation and abandonment are important conservation issues.
Vertebrate grazing can mitigate impacts of nutrient addition on plant diversity and insect abundance in a semi-natural grassland
<p>Human-induced nutrient eutrophication is a major threat to grassland biodiversity, because it promotes the dominance of fast-growing plants. Negative impacts of fertilization on plant biodiversity may be offset by grazing by large vertebrate herbivores. However, whether grazers also mitigate impacts of nutrient addition on insects is less well understood. We use a field experiment to test how plant communities and abundances of pollinators and grasshoppers respond to nutrient addition and grazing by different assemblages of large herbivores, i.e., access by all herbivores (including cattle and horses), access by wild herbivores only (wild boar and deer), no access by large herbivores. Plant biomass increased, plant diversity decreased and community composition shifted towards lower forb cover in response to fertilization, but only in the absence of all herbivores. Flower visitation by Hymenoptera (bees and wasps), i.e., the most abundant pollinator group, was reduced by nutrient addition only in the absence of all herbivores and was positively related to flowering plant richness. In contrast, flower visitation by Diptera (e.g., hoverflies) was enhanced by fertilization, but not affected by grazing. Orthoptera (grasshopper) abundance was reduced by grazing and enhanced by nutrient addition, with positive impacts of fertilization tending to be stronger in plots with only wild or no herbivores. The abundance of grasshoppers was positively related to grass biomass. We conclude that vertebrate herbivores can offset impacts of fertilization on both plant and insect communities, making grazing by large mammals an essential tool to protect insects, particularly pollinators. Most responses to nutrient addition were only apparent in plots without any large herbivores, suggesting that wild herbivores alone could already mitigate nutrient impacts. We also show that insects with contrasting feeding guilds may be favoured by fertilized, ungrazed conditions. Therefore, creating a mosaic of patches grazed at different intensities will enhance overall insect biodiversity.</p>
Data from: Negative legacy effects of past forest use on native plant diversity in semi-natural grasslands on ski slopes
<p>We collected this data in Sugadaira and Minenohara Kogen in 2015, and in Kazawa, and Yunomaru in 2016. It was used for our paper titled "Negative legacy effects of past forest use on native plant diversity in semi-natural grasslands on ski slopes".</p>
Data from: Rapid buildup of genetic diversity in founder populations of the gynodioecious plant species Origanum vulgare after semi-natural grassland restoration
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Data from: Flower resource and land management drives hoverfly communities and bee abundance in semi-natural and agricultural grasslands
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Data from: Non-random loss of phylogenetically distinct rare species degrades phylogenetic diversity in semi-natural grasslands
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
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DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.