Examination of Forest Steppe Species in the Case of Areas Where Traditional Cultivation Was Abandoned

The thousands of kilometers of forest steppes in Eurasia belong to the most threatened ecosystems thanks to habitat loss. We have limited knowledge on the recolonization ability of forest steppe species to date, which is the reason we examined the textural and structural changes in these species dur...

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Main Authors: Orsolya Szirmai, Dénes Saláta, Károly Penksza, Judit Schellenberger, Szilárd Czóbel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-07-01
Series:Diversity
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/7/561
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author Orsolya Szirmai
Dénes Saláta
Károly Penksza
Judit Schellenberger
Szilárd Czóbel
author_facet Orsolya Szirmai
Dénes Saláta
Károly Penksza
Judit Schellenberger
Szilárd Czóbel
author_sort Orsolya Szirmai
collection DOAJ
description The thousands of kilometers of forest steppes in Eurasia belong to the most threatened ecosystems thanks to habitat loss. We have limited knowledge on the recolonization ability of forest steppe species to date, which is the reason we examined the textural and structural changes in these species during secondary succession in areas of different former land use. The species number, cover, and diversity of forest steppe species, especially those of the <i>Festuco-Brometea</i> group, became significant for all three types in the oldest fallows. The number and proportion of forest steppe species have been steadily increasing in abandoned vineyards and arable land, indicating that forest steppe species are able to rapidly recolonize. The increase in the number and cover of forest steppe species in abandoned grasslands reveals that the replacement of the species pool of these grasslands is not necessarily accompanied by degradation, but also by the appearance and spread of valuable natural species if the habitat is sufficiently patchy. The proportions of habitat categories level off in abandoned vineyards and arable land as abandonment progresses. The cover rates of disturbed habitats species were negligible for all three types for the third decade after abandonment, indicating a change in the quality of the species pool.
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spelling doaj.art-e216362549ab4fc8895440f4b75f1a9b2023-12-01T22:03:53ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182022-07-0114756110.3390/d14070561Examination of Forest Steppe Species in the Case of Areas Where Traditional Cultivation Was AbandonedOrsolya Szirmai0Dénes Saláta1Károly Penksza2Judit Schellenberger3Szilárd Czóbel4Institute of Animal Sciences and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, Andrássy Street 15, H-6800 Hódmezővásárhely, HungaryDepartment of Nature Conservation and Landscape Management, Institute for Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Páter Károly Street 1, H-2100 Gödöllő, HungaryDepartment of Botany, Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Páter Károly Street 1, H-2100 Gödöllő, HungaryInstitute for Soil Sciences, Centre for Agricultural Research, Herman Ottó Street 15, H-1022 Budapest, HungaryInstitute of Plant Sciences and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, Andrássy Street 15, H-6800 Hódmezővásárhely, HungaryThe thousands of kilometers of forest steppes in Eurasia belong to the most threatened ecosystems thanks to habitat loss. We have limited knowledge on the recolonization ability of forest steppe species to date, which is the reason we examined the textural and structural changes in these species during secondary succession in areas of different former land use. The species number, cover, and diversity of forest steppe species, especially those of the <i>Festuco-Brometea</i> group, became significant for all three types in the oldest fallows. The number and proportion of forest steppe species have been steadily increasing in abandoned vineyards and arable land, indicating that forest steppe species are able to rapidly recolonize. The increase in the number and cover of forest steppe species in abandoned grasslands reveals that the replacement of the species pool of these grasslands is not necessarily accompanied by degradation, but also by the appearance and spread of valuable natural species if the habitat is sufficiently patchy. The proportions of habitat categories level off in abandoned vineyards and arable land as abandonment progresses. The cover rates of disturbed habitats species were negligible for all three types for the third decade after abandonment, indicating a change in the quality of the species pool.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/7/561age groupsspace for timevineyardsarablegrasslandsspecies richness
spellingShingle Orsolya Szirmai
Dénes Saláta
Károly Penksza
Judit Schellenberger
Szilárd Czóbel
Examination of Forest Steppe Species in the Case of Areas Where Traditional Cultivation Was Abandoned
Diversity
age groups
space for time
vineyards
arable
grasslands
species richness
title Examination of Forest Steppe Species in the Case of Areas Where Traditional Cultivation Was Abandoned
title_full Examination of Forest Steppe Species in the Case of Areas Where Traditional Cultivation Was Abandoned
title_fullStr Examination of Forest Steppe Species in the Case of Areas Where Traditional Cultivation Was Abandoned
title_full_unstemmed Examination of Forest Steppe Species in the Case of Areas Where Traditional Cultivation Was Abandoned
title_short Examination of Forest Steppe Species in the Case of Areas Where Traditional Cultivation Was Abandoned
title_sort examination of forest steppe species in the case of areas where traditional cultivation was abandoned
topic age groups
space for time
vineyards
arable
grasslands
species richness
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/7/561
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AT karolypenksza examinationofforeststeppespeciesinthecaseofareaswheretraditionalcultivationwasabandoned
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