Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Vegetationsförändringar i en sydvästskånsk naturbetesmark ‒ kärlväxter som indikatorer på miljöförändringar

Petersson, Lisa LU (2015) MVEM12 20142
Studies in Environmental Science
Abstract
This study investigates changes in the composition of vascular plants on a steep hill with rich grassland flora, situated within a large horse-grazed pasture, in southwestern Scania, Sweden. Abundance data for 149 plant species, collected within 220 square-meter plots in both 1982 and 2014, were related to a set of species indicator values (mostly Ellenberg values) as well as plot-specific data on slope aspect (northness and eastness) and percentage shrub cover, in order to identify possible drivers of changes in abundance and vegetation structure. Overall, the vegetation on the hill has become more trivial, with an increased abundance of weeds and species preferring moist and nitrogen-rich conditions and a decreased abundance of species... (More)
This study investigates changes in the composition of vascular plants on a steep hill with rich grassland flora, situated within a large horse-grazed pasture, in southwestern Scania, Sweden. Abundance data for 149 plant species, collected within 220 square-meter plots in both 1982 and 2014, were related to a set of species indicator values (mostly Ellenberg values) as well as plot-specific data on slope aspect (northness and eastness) and percentage shrub cover, in order to identify possible drivers of changes in abundance and vegetation structure. Overall, the vegetation on the hill has become more trivial, with an increased abundance of weeds and species preferring moist and nitrogen-rich conditions and a decreased abundance of species with high conservation, e.g. pasque flower Pulsatilla vulgaris and mountain clover Trifolium montanum; however, only a few species have been lost entirely over the 32-year period. Judging from results from ordination analyses, the vegetation composition has become more spatially heterogeneous and more strongly dominated by differences in shrub cover, a natural consequence of the dense thickets of shrubs now found in parts of the study area. The results are used to discuss possible conservation measures such as thinning of shrubs and increasing grazing pressure to prevent tall, competitive species from excluding others. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Petersson, Lisa LU
supervisor
organization
course
MVEM12 20142
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
vegetationsförändringar, naturbetesmark, naturvård, ordination, indikator, inventering, Käglinge, Björka gård
language
Swedish
id
5042641
date added to LUP
2016-09-13 09:40:43
date last changed
2019-01-29 13:44:01
@misc{5042641,
  abstract     = {{This study investigates changes in the composition of vascular plants on a steep hill with rich grassland flora, situated within a large horse-grazed pasture, in southwestern Scania, Sweden. Abundance data for 149 plant species, collected within 220 square-meter plots in both 1982 and 2014, were related to a set of species indicator values (mostly Ellenberg values) as well as plot-specific data on slope aspect (northness and eastness) and percentage shrub cover, in order to identify possible drivers of changes in abundance and vegetation structure. Overall, the vegetation on the hill has become more trivial, with an increased abundance of weeds and species preferring moist and nitrogen-rich conditions and a decreased abundance of species with high conservation, e.g. pasque flower Pulsatilla vulgaris and mountain clover Trifolium montanum; however, only a few species have been lost entirely over the 32-year period. Judging from results from ordination analyses, the vegetation composition has become more spatially heterogeneous and more strongly dominated by differences in shrub cover, a natural consequence of the dense thickets of shrubs now found in parts of the study area. The results are used to discuss possible conservation measures such as thinning of shrubs and increasing grazing pressure to prevent tall, competitive species from excluding others.}},
  author       = {{Petersson, Lisa}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Vegetationsförändringar i en sydvästskånsk naturbetesmark ‒ kärlväxter som indikatorer på miljöförändringar}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}