Sheep Grazing and Wildfire: Disturbance Effects on Dry Grassland Vegetation in the Western Italian Alps
Land abandonment represents a major threat to the conservation of European semi-natural dry grasslands. To ensure biodiversity and habitat conservation, in this study, sheep grazing was reintroduced in abandoned <i>Festuco-Brometea</i> dry grasslands of a western Italian alpine valley. T...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/1/6 |
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| author | Ginevra Nota Simone Ravetto Enri Marco Pittarello Alessandra Gorlier Giampiero Lombardi Michele Lonati |
| author_facet | Ginevra Nota Simone Ravetto Enri Marco Pittarello Alessandra Gorlier Giampiero Lombardi Michele Lonati |
| author_sort | Ginevra Nota |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Land abandonment represents a major threat to the conservation of European semi-natural dry grasslands. To ensure biodiversity and habitat conservation, in this study, sheep grazing was reintroduced in abandoned <i>Festuco-Brometea</i> dry grasslands of a western Italian alpine valley. The experimental design included three treatments, along a gradient of increasing disturbance: (i) not-grazed, (ii) grazed, and (iii) penning areas. Unexpectedly, two years after grazing reintroduction, a wildfire hit the study area. To investigate the short-term effects of grazing and wildfire disturbances on vegetation, 62 permanent transects were monitored from 2014 to 2018. Vegetation cover, plant diversity, and richness and abundance of three functional groups of species were analyzed through generalized linear mixed models. Grazing caused little changes in vegetation, with the greatest effects observed in penning areas: the pioneer xerothermic species group, including many rare plant species, benefited from the reduction in the litter layer and the opening of gaps in the sward induced by trampling. The wildfire led to an increase in plant diversity and to changes in plant composition: dry grassland species decreased, while pioneer xerothermic and ruderal species increased their abundance. Short-term results suggest that both disturbances may foster the conservation of alpine dry grasslands. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:50:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-56d887eee0b54dbb9e394c15c5a36423 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:50:18Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-56d887eee0b54dbb9e394c15c5a364232023-11-21T02:10:51ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952020-12-01111610.3390/agronomy11010006Sheep Grazing and Wildfire: Disturbance Effects on Dry Grassland Vegetation in the Western Italian AlpsGinevra Nota0Simone Ravetto Enri1Marco Pittarello2Alessandra Gorlier3Giampiero Lombardi4Michele Lonati5Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), ItalySchool of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), ItalyLand abandonment represents a major threat to the conservation of European semi-natural dry grasslands. To ensure biodiversity and habitat conservation, in this study, sheep grazing was reintroduced in abandoned <i>Festuco-Brometea</i> dry grasslands of a western Italian alpine valley. The experimental design included three treatments, along a gradient of increasing disturbance: (i) not-grazed, (ii) grazed, and (iii) penning areas. Unexpectedly, two years after grazing reintroduction, a wildfire hit the study area. To investigate the short-term effects of grazing and wildfire disturbances on vegetation, 62 permanent transects were monitored from 2014 to 2018. Vegetation cover, plant diversity, and richness and abundance of three functional groups of species were analyzed through generalized linear mixed models. Grazing caused little changes in vegetation, with the greatest effects observed in penning areas: the pioneer xerothermic species group, including many rare plant species, benefited from the reduction in the litter layer and the opening of gaps in the sward induced by trampling. The wildfire led to an increase in plant diversity and to changes in plant composition: dry grassland species decreased, while pioneer xerothermic and ruderal species increased their abundance. Short-term results suggest that both disturbances may foster the conservation of alpine dry grasslands.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/1/6biodiversity conservation<i>Bromus erectus</i>burningnight penspriority habitats<i>Stipa pennata</i> |
| spellingShingle | Ginevra Nota Simone Ravetto Enri Marco Pittarello Alessandra Gorlier Giampiero Lombardi Michele Lonati Sheep Grazing and Wildfire: Disturbance Effects on Dry Grassland Vegetation in the Western Italian Alps Agronomy biodiversity conservation <i>Bromus erectus</i> burning night pens priority habitats <i>Stipa pennata</i> |
| title | Sheep Grazing and Wildfire: Disturbance Effects on Dry Grassland Vegetation in the Western Italian Alps |
| title_full | Sheep Grazing and Wildfire: Disturbance Effects on Dry Grassland Vegetation in the Western Italian Alps |
| title_fullStr | Sheep Grazing and Wildfire: Disturbance Effects on Dry Grassland Vegetation in the Western Italian Alps |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sheep Grazing and Wildfire: Disturbance Effects on Dry Grassland Vegetation in the Western Italian Alps |
| title_short | Sheep Grazing and Wildfire: Disturbance Effects on Dry Grassland Vegetation in the Western Italian Alps |
| title_sort | sheep grazing and wildfire disturbance effects on dry grassland vegetation in the western italian alps |
| topic | biodiversity conservation <i>Bromus erectus</i> burning night pens priority habitats <i>Stipa pennata</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/1/6 |
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