High Land-Use Intensity Diminishes Stability of Forage Provision of Mountain Pastures under Future Climate Variability
Semi-natural, agriculturally used grasslands provide important ecologic and economic services, such as feed supply. In mountain regions, pastures are the dominant agricultural system and face more severe climate change impacts than lowlands. Climate change threatens ecosystem functions, such as abov...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/5/910 |
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| author | Bernd Josef Berauer Peter Allan Wilfahrt Max Anatol Schuchardt Marcus Schlingmann Anne Schucknecht Anke Jentsch |
| author_facet | Bernd Josef Berauer Peter Allan Wilfahrt Max Anatol Schuchardt Marcus Schlingmann Anne Schucknecht Anke Jentsch |
| author_sort | Bernd Josef Berauer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Semi-natural, agriculturally used grasslands provide important ecologic and economic services, such as feed supply. In mountain regions, pastures are the dominant agricultural system and face more severe climate change impacts than lowlands. Climate change threatens ecosystem functions, such as aboveground net primary production [ANPP] and its nutrient content. It is necessary to understand the impacts of climate change and land-management on such ecosystems to develop management practices to sustainably maintain provision of ecosystem services under future climatic conditions. We studied the effect of climate change and different land-use intensities on plant-soil communities by the downslope translocation of plant-soil mesocosms along an elevation gradient in 2016, and the subsequent application of two management types (extensive vs. intensive). Communities’ response to ANPP and leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) content was quantified over the subsequent two years after translocation. ANPP increased with warming in 2017 under both management intensities, but this effect was amplified by intensive land-use management. In 2018, ANPP of intensively managed communities decreased, in comparison to 2017, from 35% to 42%, while extensively managed communities maintained their production levels. The changes in ANPP are coupled with an exceptionally dry year in 2018, with up to 100 more days of drought conditions. The C:N of extensively managed communities was higher than those of intensively managed ones, and further increased in 2018, potentially indicating shifts in resource allocation strategies that may explain production stability. Our results revealed a low resistance of intensively managed communities’ ANPP under especially dry conditions. The ability to alter resource allocation likely enables a constant level of production under extensive management, but this ability is lost under intensive management. Thus, future drought events may leave intensive management as a non-sustainable farming practice, and ultimately threaten ecosystem services of montane pastures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:40:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0934a5153f36451d80fc3150a0ebf248 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:40:06Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-0934a5153f36451d80fc3150a0ebf2482023-11-21T18:30:20ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952021-05-0111591010.3390/agronomy11050910High Land-Use Intensity Diminishes Stability of Forage Provision of Mountain Pastures under Future Climate VariabilityBernd Josef Berauer0Peter Allan Wilfahrt1Max Anatol Schuchardt2Marcus Schlingmann3Anne Schucknecht4Anke Jentsch5Department of Disturbance Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Disturbance Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Disturbance Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, GermanyKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research—Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Kreuzeckbahnstr. 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GermanyKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research—Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Kreuzeckbahnstr. 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GermanyDepartment of Disturbance Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, GermanySemi-natural, agriculturally used grasslands provide important ecologic and economic services, such as feed supply. In mountain regions, pastures are the dominant agricultural system and face more severe climate change impacts than lowlands. Climate change threatens ecosystem functions, such as aboveground net primary production [ANPP] and its nutrient content. It is necessary to understand the impacts of climate change and land-management on such ecosystems to develop management practices to sustainably maintain provision of ecosystem services under future climatic conditions. We studied the effect of climate change and different land-use intensities on plant-soil communities by the downslope translocation of plant-soil mesocosms along an elevation gradient in 2016, and the subsequent application of two management types (extensive vs. intensive). Communities’ response to ANPP and leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) content was quantified over the subsequent two years after translocation. ANPP increased with warming in 2017 under both management intensities, but this effect was amplified by intensive land-use management. In 2018, ANPP of intensively managed communities decreased, in comparison to 2017, from 35% to 42%, while extensively managed communities maintained their production levels. The changes in ANPP are coupled with an exceptionally dry year in 2018, with up to 100 more days of drought conditions. The C:N of extensively managed communities was higher than those of intensively managed ones, and further increased in 2018, potentially indicating shifts in resource allocation strategies that may explain production stability. Our results revealed a low resistance of intensively managed communities’ ANPP under especially dry conditions. The ability to alter resource allocation likely enables a constant level of production under extensive management, but this ability is lost under intensive management. Thus, future drought events may leave intensive management as a non-sustainable farming practice, and ultimately threaten ecosystem services of montane pastures.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/5/910climate changegrasslandland managementpasturemontanenitrogen |
| spellingShingle | Bernd Josef Berauer Peter Allan Wilfahrt Max Anatol Schuchardt Marcus Schlingmann Anne Schucknecht Anke Jentsch High Land-Use Intensity Diminishes Stability of Forage Provision of Mountain Pastures under Future Climate Variability Agronomy climate change grassland land management pasture montane nitrogen |
| title | High Land-Use Intensity Diminishes Stability of Forage Provision of Mountain Pastures under Future Climate Variability |
| title_full | High Land-Use Intensity Diminishes Stability of Forage Provision of Mountain Pastures under Future Climate Variability |
| title_fullStr | High Land-Use Intensity Diminishes Stability of Forage Provision of Mountain Pastures under Future Climate Variability |
| title_full_unstemmed | High Land-Use Intensity Diminishes Stability of Forage Provision of Mountain Pastures under Future Climate Variability |
| title_short | High Land-Use Intensity Diminishes Stability of Forage Provision of Mountain Pastures under Future Climate Variability |
| title_sort | high land use intensity diminishes stability of forage provision of mountain pastures under future climate variability |
| topic | climate change grassland land management pasture montane nitrogen |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/5/910 |
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