Version 1
: Received: 10 April 2024 / Approved: 11 April 2024 / Online: 11 April 2024 (10:38:56 CEST)
How to cite:
Házi, J.; Purger, D.; Penksza, K.; Bartha, S. Changes of Species Composition, Diversity, and Biomass of Secondary Dry Grasslands After Long-Term Mowing, a Case Study in Hungary. Preprints2024, 2024040806. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0806.v1
Házi, J.; Purger, D.; Penksza, K.; Bartha, S. Changes of Species Composition, Diversity, and Biomass of Secondary Dry Grasslands After Long-Term Mowing, a Case Study in Hungary. Preprints 2024, 2024040806. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0806.v1
Házi, J.; Purger, D.; Penksza, K.; Bartha, S. Changes of Species Composition, Diversity, and Biomass of Secondary Dry Grasslands After Long-Term Mowing, a Case Study in Hungary. Preprints2024, 2024040806. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0806.v1
APA Style
Házi, J., Purger, D., Penksza, K., & Bartha, S. (2024). Changes of Species Composition, Diversity, and Biomass of Secondary Dry Grasslands After Long-Term Mowing, a Case Study in Hungary. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0806.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Házi, J., Károly Penksza and Sándor Bartha. 2024 "Changes of Species Composition, Diversity, and Biomass of Secondary Dry Grasslands After Long-Term Mowing, a Case Study in Hungary" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0806.v1
Abstract
The focus of our study was the changes in the composition of semi-natural dry grasslands in Hungary. Since these valuable habitats were created with the help of humans, their preservation also requires regular treatment. Our mowing experiment aimed to investigate the suppression of the native Calamagrostis epigejos L. Roth. In Hungary, in the Cserhát Mountains, eight permanent plots were mowed twice a year. The vegetation was sampled annually between 2001 and 2011. The effects of mowing were investigated with repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). After 10 years, the C. epigejos cover of the mowed plots decreased significantly, from the initial average of 62.38 to 7.50%. Surprisingly, we also experienced a similar decrease in the control plots. Regular treatment also had a positive effect on the number of species and diversity. Species richness increased continuously in both treatment types, which indicates the combined effect of vegetation succession and treatment. The biomass growth of other Poaceae and Fabaceae species, which are important from a grassland management perspective, was also facilitated by mowing. Our results suggest that long-term in situ experiments and continuous botanical studies are needed to establish a reliable utilization of grasslands.
Keywords
Calamagrostis epigejos L. Roth; conservation management; grassland management, land abandonment; dry grassland, loes steppe, long-term data; nature conservation
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Ecology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
