TY - JOUR A1 - Busch, Verena A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Penone, Caterina A1 - Schäfer, Deborah A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Niinemets, Ülo A1 - Penuelas, Josep A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Fischer, Markus A1 - Kleinebecker, Till T1 - Nutrient stoichiometry and land use rather than species richness determine plant functional diversity JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - Plant functional traits reflect individual and community ecological strategies. They allow the detection of directional changes in community dynamics and ecosystemic processes, being an additional tool to assess biodiversity than species richness. Analysis of functional patterns in plant communities provides mechanistic insight into biodiversity alterations due to anthropogenic activity. Although studies have consi-dered of either anthropogenic management or nutrient availability on functional traits in temperate grasslands, studies combining effects of both drivers are scarce. Here, we assessed the impacts of management intensity (fertilization, mowing, grazing), nutrient stoichiometry (C, N, P, K), and vegetation composition on community-weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (Rao's Q) from seven plant traits in 150 grasslands in three regions in Germany, using data of 6 years. Land use and nutrient stoichiometry accounted for larger proportions of model variance of CWM and Rao's Q than species richness and productivity. Grazing affected all analyzed trait groups; fertilization and mowing only impacted generative traits. Grazing was clearly associated with nutrient retention strategies, that is, investing in durable structures and production of fewer, less variable seed. Phenological variability was increased. Fertilization and mowing decreased seed number/mass variability, indicating competition-related effects. Impacts of nutrient stoichiometry on trait syndromes varied. Nutrient limitation (large N:P, C:N ratios) promoted species with conservative strategies, that is, investment in durable plant structures rather than fast growth, fewer seed, and delayed flowering onset. In contrast to seed mass, leaf-economics variability was reduced under P shortage. Species diversity was positively associated with the variability of generative traits. Synthesis. Here, land use, nutrient availability, species richness, and plant functional strategies have been shown to interact complexly, driving community composition, and vegetation responses to management intensity. We suggest that deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping community assembly and biodiversity will require analyzing all these parameters. KW - biodiversity exploratories KW - fertilization KW - leaf economics KW - mowing KW - nutrient availability KW - nutrient ratios KW - phosphorus KW - plant functional traits KW - plant strategies KW - seed mass Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3609 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - 601 EP - 616 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwabe, Angelika A1 - Tischew, Sabine A1 - Bergmeier, Erwin A1 - Garve, Eckhard A1 - Härdtle, Werner A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Peppler-Lisbach, Cord A1 - Remy, Dominique A1 - Dierschke, Hartmut T1 - Pflanzengesellschaft des Jahres 2020 BT - Borstgrasrasen JF - Tuexenia : Mitteilungen der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft N2 - Wie erstmals 2019 wird auch für das Jahr 2020 von der „Floristisch-soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft“ (FlorSoz) für Deutschland die „Pflanzengesellschaft des Jahres“ vorgestellt. Damit soll wiederum für die Öffentlichkeit die Notwendigkeit des Schutzes gefährdeter Pflanzengesellschaften aufgezeigt werden. Für das Jahr 2020 wurden die Borstgrasrasen ausgewählt. Wie alle Pflanzengemeinschaften nährstoffarmer Standorte, sind auch die Borstgrasrasen stark gefährdet und regional sogar unmittelbar vom Aussterben bedroht. Wir konzentrieren uns vor allem auf die Bestände der planaren bis montanen Stufe (Unterverband Violenion caninae: Hundsveilchen-Borstgrasrasen). Die Standorte von Violenion caninae-Gesellschaften werden nicht gedüngt und sind auf extensive Beweidung, z.T. auch auf einschürige Mahd angewiesen. Für Borstgrasrasen bezeichnend sind eine Fülle gefährdeter Pflanzenarten wie z.B. Arnica montana (Arnika) und Antennaria dioica (Zweihäusiges Katzenpfötchen). Bei den Borstgrasrasen spielen für die zunehmend hohe Gefährdung nicht nur Flächenrückgänge durch Nutzungsaufgabe, Aufforstung, Sport- und Freizeitaktivitäten und Überbauung eine Rolle, sondern auch Änderungen der Struktur und Artenzusammensetzung durch direkte Düngung sowie atmogene Stickstoffeinträge sind von Bedeutung. Nährstoffanreicherungen führen zum Verlust der konkurrenzschwachen, gefährdeten Arten zugunsten einiger allgemein verbreiteter, häufig dominanter Gräser sowie konkurrenzkräftiger Kräuter. Wir skizzieren die Bedeutung der Borstgrasrasen als gefährdete Lebensgemeinschaften, geben Hinweise zur floristisch-soziologischen Erforschung und zu weiteren Naturschutz-Aspekten (Rückgang, Erhaltung, Möglichkeiten der Restitution). Ein wirksamer Schutz ist nur bei einem integrativen Naturschutzansatz mit geeigneter Nutzung möglich. N2 - As for the first time in 2019 the ‘Floristisch-soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (FlorSoz)’ intro-duces the ‘Plant Community of the Year 2020’ for Germany. The FlorSoz proposal aims to alert the public that the conservation of endangered plant communities and their biodiversity is essential.For the year 2020 the plant community of mat-grass swards (Nardus stricta grassland) has been selected. Similar to other plant communities on nutrient-poor sites, Nardus grassland is highly endan-gered and in some regions on the brink of extinction. We focus on Nardus grassland of the lowland to montane levels with the characteristic Violenion caninae suballiance (named after Viola canina,the Heath Dog-violet). The sites of Violenion caninae communities are not fertilized and depend on extensive grazing, but there are also mat-grass swards which are mown once a year. Nardus grasslands host many threatened species, e.g., Arnica montana (Arnica) and Antennaria dioica (Mountain Everlasting).The decline of Nardus grassland is not only due to abandonment, afforestation, outdoor activities and construction measures, but also due to changes in the structure and species composition through eutrophication by either direct manuring or by atmospheric nitrogen input. Eutrophication causes local decline or extinction of low-competitive, often endangered species which are replaced by ubiquists, mostly highly competitive species. For management, long-term conservation practices like extensive grazing or cutting once a year are essential. We give an outline of Nardus grassland as an endangered habitat type and summarize its current state of ecological and phytosociological research. In particular we take up the issue of conservation, including the loss of Nardus grasslands and their restoration. Effective conservation depends on an integrative nature-conservation approach, using suitable man-agement practices. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.14471/2019.39.017 SN - 0722-494X IS - 39 SP - 287 EP - 308 PB - Floristisch-soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V. CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heim, Ramona J. A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Kamp, Johannes A1 - Thomas, Alexander A1 - Darman, Galina F. A1 - Smirenski, Sergei M. A1 - Heim, Wieland T1 - Post-burn and long-term fire effects on plants and birds in floodplain wetlands of the Russian Far East JF - Biodiversity and conservation N2 - Wildfires affect biodiversity at multiple levels. While vegetation is directly changed by fire events, animals are often indirectly affected through changes in habitat and food availability. Globally, fire frequency and the extent of fires are predicted to increase in the future. The impact of fire on the biodiversity of temperate wetlands has gained little attention so far. We compared species richness and abundance of plants and birds in burnt and unburnt areas in the Amur floodplain/Russian Far East in the year of fire and 1 year after. We also analysed vegetation recovery in relation to time since fire over a period of 18 years. Plant species richness was higher in burnt compared to unburnt plots in the year of the fire, but not in the year after. This suggests that fire has a positive short-term effect on plant diversity. Bird species richness and abundance were lower on burnt compared to unburnt plots in the year of the fire, but not in the year after. Over a period of 18 years, high fire frequency led to an increase in herb cover and a decrease in grass cover. We show that the effects on biodiversity are taxon- and species-specific. Fire management strategies in temperate wetlands should consider fire frequency as a key driving force of vegetation structure, with carry-over effects on higher trophic levels. Designing fire refuges, i.e., areas that do not burn annually, might locally be necessary to maintain high species richness. KW - Disturbance KW - Bird species richness KW - Vegetation structure KW - Fire frequency KW - Amur River Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01746-3 SN - 0960-3115 SN - 1572-9710 VL - 28 IS - 6 SP - 1611 EP - 1628 PB - Springer CY - Dordrecht ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Busch, Verena A1 - Klaus, Valentin Helmut A1 - Schaefer, Deborah A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Chiste, Melanie A1 - Mody, Karsten A1 - Blüthgen, Nico A1 - Fischer, Markus A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Kleinebecker, Till T1 - Will I stay or will I go? Plant species-specific response and tolerance to high land-use intensity in temperate grassland ecosystems JF - Journal of vegetation science KW - community composition KW - ecological strategies KW - Ellenberg indicator values KW - land-use intensity niche KW - plant functional traits KW - species-specific niche breadth KW - species-specific niche optima KW - temperate grasslands KW - vegetation dynamics Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12749 SN - 1100-9233 SN - 1654-1103 VL - 30 IS - 4 SP - 674 EP - 686 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Soliveres, Santiago A1 - van der Plas, Fons A1 - Manning, Peter A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Gossner, Martin M. A1 - Renner, Swen C. A1 - Alt, Fabian A1 - Arndt, Hartmut A1 - Baumgartner, Vanessa A1 - Binkenstein, Julia A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Blaser, Stefan A1 - Blüthgen, Nico A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Böhm, Stefan A1 - Börschig, Carmen A1 - Buscot, Francois A1 - Diekötter, Tim A1 - Heinze, Johannes A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Jung, Kirsten A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Kleinebecker, Till A1 - Klemmer, Sandra A1 - Krauss, Jochen A1 - Lange, Markus A1 - Morris, E. Kathryn A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Oelmann, Yvonne A1 - Overmann, Jörg A1 - Pasalic, Esther A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. A1 - Schaefer, H. Martin A1 - Schloter, Michael A1 - Schmitt, Barbara A1 - Schöning, Ingo A1 - Schrumpf, Marion A1 - Sikorski, Johannes A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Solly, Emily F. A1 - Sonnemann, Ilja A1 - Sorkau, Elisabeth A1 - Steckel, Juliane A1 - Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf A1 - Stempfhuber, Barbara A1 - Tschapka, Marco A1 - Türke, Manfred A1 - Venter, Paul C. A1 - Weiner, Christiane N. A1 - Weisser, Wolfgang W. A1 - Werner, Michael A1 - Westphal, Catrin A1 - Wilcke, Wolfgang A1 - Wolters, Volkmar A1 - Wubet, Tesfaye A1 - Wurst, Susanne A1 - Fischer, Markus A1 - Allan, Eric T1 - Biodiversity at multiple trophic levels is needed for ecosystem multifunctionality JF - Nature : the international weekly journal of science Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19092 SN - 0028-0836 SN - 1476-4687 VL - 536 SP - 456 EP - + PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Manning, Pete A1 - Gossner, Martin M. A1 - Bossdorf, Oliver A1 - Allan, Eric A1 - Zhang, Yuan-Ye A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Blüthgen, Nico A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Böhm, Stefan A1 - Börschig, Carmen A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Jung, Kirsten A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Klein, Alexandra Maria A1 - Kleinebecker, Till A1 - Krauss, Jochen A1 - Lange, Markus A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Pasalic, Esther A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Tschapka, Marco A1 - Türke, Manfred A1 - Weiner, Christiane A1 - Werner, Michael A1 - Gockel, Sonja A1 - Hemp, Andreas A1 - Renner, Swen C. A1 - Wells, Konstans A1 - Buscot, Francois A1 - Kalko, Elisabeth K. V. A1 - Linsenmair, Karl Eduard A1 - Weisser, Wolfgang W. A1 - Fischer, Markus T1 - Grassland management intensification weakens the associations among the diversities of multiple plant and animal taxa JF - Ecology : a publication of the Ecological Society of America N2 - Land-use intensification is a key driver of biodiversity change. However, little is known about how it alters relationships between the diversities of different taxonomic groups, which are often correlated due to shared environmental drivers and trophic interactions. Using data from 150 grassland sites, we examined how land-use intensification (increased fertilization, higher livestock densities, and increased mowing frequency) altered correlations between the species richness of 15 plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate taxa. We found that 54% of pairwise correlations between taxonomic groups were significant and positive among all grasslands, while only one was negative. Higher land-use intensity substantially weakened these correlations(35% decrease in rand 43% fewer significant pairwise correlations at high intensity), a pattern which may emerge as a result of biodiversity declines and the breakdown of specialized relationships in these conditions. Nevertheless, some groups (Coleoptera, Heteroptera, Hymenoptera and Orthoptera) were consistently correlated with multidiversity, an aggregate measure of total biodiversity comprised of the standardized diversities of multiple taxa, at both high and lowland-use intensity. The form of intensification was also important; increased fertilization and mowing frequency typically weakened plant-plant and plant-primary consumer correlations, whereas grazing intensification did not. This may reflect decreased habitat heterogeneity under mowing and fertilization and increased habitat heterogeneity under grazing. While these results urge caution in using certain taxonomic groups to monitor impacts of agricultural management on biodiversity, they also suggest that the diversities of some groups are reasonably robust indicators of total biodiversity across a range of conditions. KW - Biodiversity indicators KW - correlation KW - fertilization KW - grassland management KW - grazing KW - land-use change KW - land-use intensity KW - mowing KW - multidiversity KW - multitrophic interactions Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1890/14-1307.1 SN - 0012-9658 SN - 1939-9170 VL - 96 IS - 6 SP - 1492 EP - 1501 PB - Wiley CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Allan, Eric A1 - Manning, Pete A1 - Alt, Fabian A1 - Binkenstein, Julia A1 - Blaser, Stefan A1 - Blüthgen, Nico A1 - Böhm, Stefan A1 - Grassein, Fabrice A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Kleinebecker, Till A1 - Morris, E. Kathryn A1 - Oelmann, Yvonne A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Renner, Swen C. A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. A1 - Schaefer, Martin A1 - Schloter, Michael A1 - Schmitt, Barbara A1 - Schöning, Ingo A1 - Schrumpf, Marion A1 - Solly, Emily A1 - Sorkau, Elisabeth A1 - Steckel, Juliane A1 - Steffen-Dewenter, Ingolf A1 - Stempfhuber, Barbara A1 - Tschapka, Marco A1 - Weiner, Christiane N. A1 - Weisser, Wolfgang W. A1 - Werner, Michael A1 - Westphal, Catrin A1 - Wilcke, Wolfgang A1 - Fischer, Markus T1 - Land use intensification alters ecosystem multifunctionality via loss of biodiversity and changes to functional composition JF - Ecology letters N2 - Global change, especially land-use intensification, affects human well-being by impacting the delivery of multiple ecosystem services (multifunctionality). However, whether biodiversity loss is a major component of global change effects on multifunctionality in real-world ecosystems, as in experimental ones, remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed biodiversity, functional composition and 14 ecosystem services on 150 agricultural grasslands differing in land-use intensity. We also introduce five multifunctionality measures in which ecosystem services were weighted according to realistic land-use objectives. We found that indirect land-use effects, i.e. those mediated by biodiversity loss and by changes to functional composition, were as strong as direct effects on average. Their strength varied with land-use objectives and regional context. Biodiversity loss explained indirect effects in a region of intermediate productivity and was most damaging when land-use objectives favoured supporting and cultural services. In contrast, functional composition shifts, towards fast-growing plant species, strongly increased provisioning services in more inherently unproductive grasslands. KW - Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning KW - ecosystem services KW - global change KW - land use KW - multifunctionality Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12469 SN - 1461-023X SN - 1461-0248 VL - 18 IS - 8 SP - 834 EP - 843 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Allan, Eric A1 - Bossdorf, Oliver A1 - Dormann, Carsten F. A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Gossner, Martin M. A1 - Tscharntke, Teja A1 - Blüthgen, Nico A1 - Bellach, Michaela A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Böhm, Stefan A1 - Börschig, Carmen A1 - Chatzinotas, Antonis A1 - Christ, Sabina A1 - Daniel, Rolf A1 - Diekötter, Tim A1 - Fischer, Christiane A1 - Friedl, Thomas A1 - Glaser, Karin A1 - Hallmann, Christine A1 - Hodac, Ladislav A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Jung, Kirsten A1 - Klein, Alexandra Maria A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Kleinebecker, Till A1 - Krauss, Jochen A1 - Lange, Markus A1 - Morris, E. Kathryn A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Nacke, Heiko A1 - Pasalic, Esther A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. A1 - Rothenwoehrer, Christoph A1 - Schally, Peter A1 - Scherber, Christoph A1 - Schulze, Waltraud X. A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Steckel, Juliane A1 - Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf A1 - Türke, Manfred A1 - Weiner, Christiane N. A1 - Werner, Michael A1 - Westphal, Catrin A1 - Wolters, Volkmar A1 - Wubet, Tesfaye A1 - Gockel, Sonja A1 - Gorke, Martin A1 - Hemp, Andreas A1 - Renner, Swen C. A1 - Schöning, Ingo A1 - Pfeiffer, Simone A1 - König-Ries, Birgitta A1 - Buscot, Francois A1 - Linsenmair, Karl Eduard A1 - Schulze, Ernst-Detlef A1 - Weisser, Wolfgang W. A1 - Fischer, Markus T1 - Interannual variation in land-use intensity enhances grassland multidiversity JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America N2 - Although temporal heterogeneity is a well-accepted driver of biodiversity, effects of interannual variation in land-use intensity (LUI) have not been addressed yet. Additionally, responses to land use can differ greatly among different organisms; therefore, overall effects of land-use on total local biodiversity are hardly known. To test for effects of LUI (quantified as the combined intensity of fertilization, grazing, and mowing) and interannual variation in LUI (SD in LUI across time), we introduce a unique measure of whole-ecosystem biodiversity, multidiversity. This synthesizes individual diversity measures across up to 49 taxonomic groups of plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria from 150 grasslands. Multidiversity declined with increasing LUI among grasslands, particularly for rarer species and aboveground organisms, whereas common species and belowground groups were less sensitive. However, a high level of interannual variation in LUI increased overall multidiversity at low LUI and was even more beneficial for rarer species because it slowed the rate at which the multidiversity of rare species declined with increasing LUI. In more intensively managed grasslands, the diversity of rarer species was, on average, 18% of the maximum diversity across all grasslands when LUI was static over time but increased to 31% of the maximum when LUI changed maximally over time. In addition to decreasing overall LUI, we suggest varying LUI across years as a complementary strategy to promote biodiversity conservation. KW - biodiversity loss KW - agricultural grasslands KW - Biodiversity Exploratories Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1312213111 SN - 0027-8424 VL - 111 IS - 1 SP - 308 EP - 313 PB - National Acad. of Sciences CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Fischer, Markus T1 - Direct and productivity-mediated indirect effects of fertilization, mowing and grazing on grassland species richness JF - The journal of ecology N2 - Recent declines in biodiversity have given new urgency to questions about the relationship between land-use change, biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Despite the existence of a large body of research on the effects of land use on species richness, it is unclear whether the effects of land use on species richness are principally direct or indirect, mediated by concomitant changes in ecosystem processes. Therefore, we compared the direct effects of land use (fertilization, mowing and grazing) on species richness with indirect ones (mediated via grassland productivity) for grasslands in central Europe. We measured the richness and above-ground biomass in 150 grassland plots in 3 regions of Germany (the so-called Biodiversity Exploratories). We used univariate and structural equation models to examine direct and indirect land-use effects. The direct effects of mowing (-0.37, effect size) and grazing (0.04) intensity on species richness were stronger compared with the indirect effects of mowing (-0.04) and grazing (-0.01). However, the strong negative effect of fertilization (-0.23) on species richness was mainly indirect, mediated by increased productivity compared with the weak direct negative effect (-0.07). Differences between regions in land-use effects showed five times weaker negative effects of mowing (-0.13) in the region with organic soils (Schorfheide-Chorin), strong overall negative effects of grazing (-0.29) for the region with organic soils opposed to a similar strong positive effect (0.30) in the Hainich-Dun region, whereas the Schwabische Alb region displayed a five times weaker positive effect (0.06) only. Further, fertilization effects on species richness were positive (0.03) for the region with organic soils compared to up to 25 times stronger negative effects in the other two regions. Synthesis. Our results clearly show the importance of studying both direct and indirect effects of land-use intensity. They demonstrate the indirect nature, via productivity, of the negative effect of fertilization intensity on plant species richness in the real-world context of management-induced gradients of intensity of fertilization, mowing and grazing. Finally, they highlight that careful consideration of regional environments is necessary before attempting to generalize land-use effects on species diversity. KW - biodiversity KW - determinants of plant community diversity and structure KW - ecosystem functioning KW - functional plant group KW - land use KW - productivity KW - species richness KW - structural equation modelling Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2012.02020.x SN - 0022-0477 VL - 100 IS - 6 SP - 1391 EP - 1399 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Kleinebecker, Till A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Fischer, Markus T1 - Impact of Land-Use intensity and productivity on bryophyte diversity in agricultural grasslands JF - PLoS one N2 - While bryophytes greatly contribute to plant diversity of semi-natural grasslands, little is known about the relationships between land-use intensity, productivity, and bryophyte diversity in these habitats. We recorded vascular plant and bryophyte vegetation in 85 agricultural used grasslands in two regions in northern and central Germany and gathered information on land-use intensity. To assess grassland productivity, we harvested aboveground vascular plant biomass and analyzed nutrient concentrations of N, P, K, Ca and Mg. Further we calculated mean Ellenberg indicator values of vascular plant vegetation. We tested for effects of land-use intensity and productivity on total bryophyte species richness and on the species richness of acrocarpous (small & erect) and pleurocarpous (creeping, including liverworts) growth forms separately. Bryophyte species were found in almost all studied grasslands, but species richness differed considerably between study regions in northern Germany (2.8 species per 16 m(2)) and central Germany (6.4 species per 16 m(2)) due environmental differences as well as land-use history. Increased fertilizer application, coinciding with high mowing frequency, reduced bryophyte species richness significantly. Accordingly, productivity estimates such as plant biomass and nitrogen concentration were strongly negatively related to bryophyte species richness, although productivity decreased only pleurocarpous species. Ellenberg indicator values for nutrients proved to be useful indicators of species richness and productivity. In conclusion, bryophyte composition was strongly dependent on productivity, with smaller bryophytes that were likely negatively affected by greater competition for light. Intensive land-use, however, can also indirectly decrease bryophyte species richness by promoting grassland productivity. Thus, increasing productivity is likely to cause a loss of bryophyte species and a decrease in species diversity. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051520 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 7 IS - 12 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Müller, Jorg A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Fischer, Markus A1 - Kleinebecker, Till T1 - Direct and indirect associations between plant species richness and productivity in grasslands regional differences preclude simple generalization of productivity-biodiversity relationships JF - Preslia : the journal of the Czech Botanical Society N2 - Plant species richness of permanent grasslands has often been found to be significantly associated with productivity. Concentrations of nutrients in biomass can give further insight into these productivity-plant species richness relationships, e.g. by reflecting land use or soil characteristics. However, the consistency of such relationships across different regions has rarely been taken into account, which might significantly compromise our potential for generalization. We recorded plant species richness and measured above-ground biomass and concentrations of nutrients in biomass in 295 grasslands in three regions in Germany that differ in soil and climatic conditions. Structural equation modelling revealed that nutrient concentrations were mostly indirectly associated with plant species richness via biomass production. However, negative associations between the concentrations of different nutrients and biomass and plant species richness differed considerably among regions. While in two regions, more than 40% of the variation in plant species richness could be attributed to variation in biomass, K, P. and to some degree also N concentrations, in the third region only 15% of the variation could be explained in this way. Generally, highest plant species richness was recorded in grasslands where N and P were co-limiting plant growth, in contrast to N or K (co-) limitation. But again, this pattern was not recorded in the third region. While for two regions land-use intensity and especially the application of fertilizers are suggested to be the main drivers causing the observed negative associations with productivity, in the third region the little variance accounted for, low species richness and weak relationships implied that former intensive grassland management, ongoing mineralization of peat and fluctuating water levels in fen grasslands have overruled effects of current land-use intensity and productivity. Finally, we conclude that regional replication is of major importance for studies seeking general insights into productivity-diversity relationships. KW - anthropogenic effect KW - Biodiversity Exploratories project KW - fen grasslands KW - generalizability KW - land-use history KW - nitrogen KW - phosphorus KW - potassium KW - plant species richness KW - structural equation modeling Y1 - 2013 SN - 0032-7786 VL - 85 IS - 2 SP - 97 EP - 112 PB - Czech Botanical Soc. CY - Praha ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Kleinebecker, Till A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Gossner, Martin M. A1 - Alt, Fabian A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Gockel, Sonja A1 - Hemp, Andreas A1 - Lange, Markus A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Oelmann, Yvonne A1 - Pasalic, Esther A1 - Renner, Swen C. A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Türke, Manfred A1 - Weisser, Wolfgang W. A1 - Fischer, Markus A1 - Hölzel, Norbert T1 - Does organic grassland farming benefit plant and arthropod diversity at the expense of yield and soil fertility? JF - Agriculture, ecosystems & environment : an international journal for scientific research on the relationship of agriculture and food production to the biosphere N2 - Organic management is one of the most popular strategies to reduce negative environmental impacts of intensive agriculture. However, little is known about benefits for biodiversity and potential worsening of yield under organic grasslands management across different grassland types, i.e. meadow, pasture and mown pasture. Therefore, we studied the diversity of vascular plants and foliage-living arthropods (Coleoptera, Araneae, Heteroptera, Auchenorrhyncha), yield, fodder quality, soil phosphorus concentrations and land-use intensity of organic and conventional grasslands across three study regions in Germany. Furthermore, all variables were related to the time since conversion to organic management in order to assess temporal developments reaching up to 18 years. Arthropod diversity was significantly higher under organic than conventional management, although this was not the case for Araneae, Heteroptera and Auchenorrhyncha when analyzed separately. On the contrary, arthropod abundance, vascular plant diversity and also yield and fodder quality did not considerably differ between organic and conventional grasslands. Analyses did not reveal differences in the effect of organic management among grassland types. None of the recorded abiotic and biotic parameters showed a significant trend with time since transition to organic management, except soil organic phosphorus concentrations which decreased with time. This implies that permanent grasslands respond slower and probably weaker to organic management than crop fields do. However, as land-use intensity and inorganic soil phosphorus concentrations were significantly lower in organic grasslands, overcoming seed and dispersal limitation by re-introducing plant species might be needed to exploit the full ecological potential of organic grassland management. We conclude that although organic management did not automatically increase the diversity of all studied taxa, it is a reasonable and useful way to support agro-biodiversity. KW - Agri-environmental schemes KW - Fertilization KW - Fodder quality KW - Land-use intensity KW - Nitrogen KW - Biomass nutrient concentrations KW - Organic farming KW - Phosphorus KW - Species richness KW - Nutrient availability Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.05.019 SN - 0167-8809 VL - 177 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Dierschke, Hartmut A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Nowak, Bernd A1 - Fartmann, Thomas T1 - Molinio-Arrhenatheretea = Kulturgrasland und verwandte Vegetationstypen. Teil 2: Molinietalia T3 - Synopsis der Pflanzengesellschaften Deutschlands Y1 - 2004 SN - 1433-8440 VL - 9 PB - Selbstverl. der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Leyer, Ilona T1 - Cnidion dubii Balatova-Tulackova 1966 nom. mut. propos., Brenndolden-Auenwiesen : mit einem Beitrag zur Biozönologie von Ralf-Udo Mühle und Thomas Fartmann Y1 - 2004 ER -