A step to disentangle diversity patterns in Uruguayan grasslands: Climatic seasonality, novel land‐uses, and landscape context drive diversity of ground flora
Abstract South American grasslands contain extraordinary biodiversity and play a central role in the subsistence of regional agroecosystems. In recent decades, afforestation, followed by the soybean planting boom, have led to drastic land‐use changes at the expense of grasslands. Impacts on local bi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Conservation Science and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12990 |
| _version_ | 1827811943038058496 |
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| author | Ina Säumel Leonardo R. Ramírez Julia Santolin Karla Pintado |
| author_facet | Ina Säumel Leonardo R. Ramírez Julia Santolin Karla Pintado |
| author_sort | Ina Säumel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract South American grasslands contain extraordinary biodiversity and play a central role in the subsistence of regional agroecosystems. In recent decades, afforestation, followed by the soybean planting boom, have led to drastic land‐use changes at the expense of grasslands. Impacts on local biodiversity have remained understudied. We explored the taxonomic richness and ß‐diversity of plants of ground layer (excluding trees and shrubs) at different land uses, its interplay at regional scale with environmental heterogeneity, and at local scale with novel land cover types and landscape configurations. We conducted correlation, principal component, NDMS, and SDR analysis to explore variation of taxonomic richness, richness difference, replacement, and similarity of ground flora as response to environmental filters and land use change across Uruguay. We surveyed 160 plots distributed in 10 land cover types, that is, closed and open native forests, different grasslands, crops, orchards, and timber plantations. We observed overlaying regional patterns driven by seasonality of temperature and precipitation, and land cover shaping taxonomic richness at local scale. Landscape configuration affects diversity patterns of native ground flora, which seems to be sustained mainly by the “old growth grassland” species pool. Taxonomic richness of native species decreases with an increase of distance to grassland. Crops and grasslands harbor a higher number of native species in the ground flora than native forests and timber plantations. The introduction of exotics is driven mostly by crops or highly modified pastures. Diversity patterns only partially reflect the ecoregion concept. Expanding the perspective from conservation in purely natural ecosystems to measures conserving species richness in human‐modified landscapes is a powerful tool against species loss in the Anthropocene. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:12:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4fd43a540ccc4395a96242f22eeefc87 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2578-4854 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:12:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation Science and Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-4fd43a540ccc4395a96242f22eeefc872023-09-21T07:23:29ZengWileyConservation Science and Practice2578-48542023-09-0159n/an/a10.1111/csp2.12990A step to disentangle diversity patterns in Uruguayan grasslands: Climatic seasonality, novel land‐uses, and landscape context drive diversity of ground floraIna Säumel0Leonardo R. Ramírez1Julia Santolin2Karla Pintado3Integrative Research Institute THESys Transformation of Human‐Environment‐Systems Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Berlin GermanyIntegrative Research Institute THESys Transformation of Human‐Environment‐Systems Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Berlin GermanyResearch Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering University of Antwerp Antwerpen BelgiumIntegrative Research Institute THESys Transformation of Human‐Environment‐Systems Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Berlin GermanyAbstract South American grasslands contain extraordinary biodiversity and play a central role in the subsistence of regional agroecosystems. In recent decades, afforestation, followed by the soybean planting boom, have led to drastic land‐use changes at the expense of grasslands. Impacts on local biodiversity have remained understudied. We explored the taxonomic richness and ß‐diversity of plants of ground layer (excluding trees and shrubs) at different land uses, its interplay at regional scale with environmental heterogeneity, and at local scale with novel land cover types and landscape configurations. We conducted correlation, principal component, NDMS, and SDR analysis to explore variation of taxonomic richness, richness difference, replacement, and similarity of ground flora as response to environmental filters and land use change across Uruguay. We surveyed 160 plots distributed in 10 land cover types, that is, closed and open native forests, different grasslands, crops, orchards, and timber plantations. We observed overlaying regional patterns driven by seasonality of temperature and precipitation, and land cover shaping taxonomic richness at local scale. Landscape configuration affects diversity patterns of native ground flora, which seems to be sustained mainly by the “old growth grassland” species pool. Taxonomic richness of native species decreases with an increase of distance to grassland. Crops and grasslands harbor a higher number of native species in the ground flora than native forests and timber plantations. The introduction of exotics is driven mostly by crops or highly modified pastures. Diversity patterns only partially reflect the ecoregion concept. Expanding the perspective from conservation in purely natural ecosystems to measures conserving species richness in human‐modified landscapes is a powerful tool against species loss in the Anthropocene.https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12990climatic seasonalityland cover changelandscape metricsSouth Americatemperate grasslands |
| spellingShingle | Ina Säumel Leonardo R. Ramírez Julia Santolin Karla Pintado A step to disentangle diversity patterns in Uruguayan grasslands: Climatic seasonality, novel land‐uses, and landscape context drive diversity of ground flora Conservation Science and Practice climatic seasonality land cover change landscape metrics South America temperate grasslands |
| title | A step to disentangle diversity patterns in Uruguayan grasslands: Climatic seasonality, novel land‐uses, and landscape context drive diversity of ground flora |
| title_full | A step to disentangle diversity patterns in Uruguayan grasslands: Climatic seasonality, novel land‐uses, and landscape context drive diversity of ground flora |
| title_fullStr | A step to disentangle diversity patterns in Uruguayan grasslands: Climatic seasonality, novel land‐uses, and landscape context drive diversity of ground flora |
| title_full_unstemmed | A step to disentangle diversity patterns in Uruguayan grasslands: Climatic seasonality, novel land‐uses, and landscape context drive diversity of ground flora |
| title_short | A step to disentangle diversity patterns in Uruguayan grasslands: Climatic seasonality, novel land‐uses, and landscape context drive diversity of ground flora |
| title_sort | step to disentangle diversity patterns in uruguayan grasslands climatic seasonality novel land uses and landscape context drive diversity of ground flora |
| topic | climatic seasonality land cover change landscape metrics South America temperate grasslands |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12990 |
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