Population of Gladiolus imbricatus under diverse management regimes in SW Estonia
(2024) In Student thesis series INES NGEM01 20241Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
- Abstract
- The tall perennial herb Gladiolus imbricatus is an endangered species within plant communities of semi-natural grasslands. Coastal meadows, extensively managed as pastures or meadows, are amongst its favored habitats and thrive with biodiversity in fauna and flora. However, following major land-use changes during the last century, proactive endeavors are necessary to prevent a loss of rare fauna and flora under overgrowing conditions. Long-term experiments and monitoring serve as strong references for observing developments in changing environments.
The three-year permanent plot experiment in this study evaluates the performance of a large population of G. imbricatus, subjected to different types of management practices including mowing... (More) - The tall perennial herb Gladiolus imbricatus is an endangered species within plant communities of semi-natural grasslands. Coastal meadows, extensively managed as pastures or meadows, are amongst its favored habitats and thrive with biodiversity in fauna and flora. However, following major land-use changes during the last century, proactive endeavors are necessary to prevent a loss of rare fauna and flora under overgrowing conditions. Long-term experiments and monitoring serve as strong references for observing developments in changing environments.
The three-year permanent plot experiment in this study evaluates the performance of a large population of G. imbricatus, subjected to different types of management practices including mowing at different dates and grazing at different intensities. The experimental setup was established in 2021 and comprises 36 plots in four different sites, characterized by different combinations of management types. The aim was to identify preliminary trends of G. imbricatus distribution with respect to the management types, and to identify ecological preferences of G. imbricatus with regards to the surrounding vegetation.
The findings from this study confirmed a higher total count of G. imbricatus in the meadows compared to the pastures. Mowing in the first half of July was preferred to late mowing, and grazing at high intensity was worse. In addition, crushing was found to be less favorable for the abundance of G. imbricatus compared to other management practices, and reedbeds had the lowest counts across all sites. With regards to its ecological preferences, a positive correlation between the count of G. imbricatus and the number of species in all sites was found. Positive trends in the vegetative height of surrounding vegetation were observed in the pastures, while negative trends were observed in the meadows. Another important result is the great difference not only between managements but also between sites in their response to the year.
The results from this study highlight the importance of long-term assessment of restoration and recovery and provide preliminary insights about preferred management strategies in the long term, offering a broad view of the ecological preferences of G. imbricatus in an extensively managed coastal meadow. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- The Turkish Marsh Gladiolus, or Gladiolus imbricatus, is a beautiful but endangered plant species that thrives in semi-natural grasslands, such as coastal meadows. These meadows habitats are rich in both plant and animal life but have suffered from significant changes in land use. When traditional management practices such as mowing and grazing are either abandoned or replaced by intensive agriculture, that habitat neglect is followed by a loss of rare species.
To understand how to best manage coastal meadow habitats for the benefit of the Gladiolus, a three-year experiment began in 2021 in the Luitemaa Nature Reserve in Southwest Estonia. The respective Baltic Boreal costal meadows captivate with their large number of the study species... (More) - The Turkish Marsh Gladiolus, or Gladiolus imbricatus, is a beautiful but endangered plant species that thrives in semi-natural grasslands, such as coastal meadows. These meadows habitats are rich in both plant and animal life but have suffered from significant changes in land use. When traditional management practices such as mowing and grazing are either abandoned or replaced by intensive agriculture, that habitat neglect is followed by a loss of rare species.
To understand how to best manage coastal meadow habitats for the benefit of the Gladiolus, a three-year experiment began in 2021 in the Luitemaa Nature Reserve in Southwest Estonia. The respective Baltic Boreal costal meadows captivate with their large number of the study species and have had management in form of mowing and grazing restored in 2001. In order to understand those managements in depth, researchers set up 36 plots across four different coastal meadow sites, each with varying management practices like mowing at different times and grazing at different intensities. The goal was to see which methods would be beneficial for the abundance of Gladiolus.
Here’s what was found: The Gladiolus population was generally larger in meadows compared to pastures. Mowing in early July was more beneficial than later mowing, and high-intensity grazing was harmful to the plant. Crushing, a management practice where vegetation is simply crushed and left to stay, also proved less favorable. Reedbeds, the result of abandonment, exhibited the lowest counts of Gladiolus.
In addition to the management practices, a positive link was found between the number of Gladiolus and the overall plant species richness in all coastal meadow sites. Meadows where vegetation was mown showed a negative relation between the surrounding plant height and the number of Gladiolus, whereas in pastures, that relation was positive. This suggests that meadows and pastures respond differently to management practices.
The results of this study are applicable only locally for management suggestions for the Luitemaa Nature Reserve but might allow implications for other similarly semi-wet habitats of Gladiolus. Different management practices, like the timing of mowing, have impacts that extent beyond just the population of Gladiolus. For instance, later mowing dates help protect bird and reptile populations by preserving safe breeding and hatching spaces. However, farmers need to consider hay quality, which is better when mowed earlier in the season.
The study highlights the importance of long-term monitoring to determine the best strategies for preserving Gladiolus imbricatus and other rare species. The findings gained provide valuable guidelines for meadow management, emphasizing that insightful planning and a variation of management practices are essential to maintaining these rich and diverse ecosystems. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9167757
- author
- Uffrecht, Xenia LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Protecting the Turkish Marsh Gladiolus: Best Practices for Coastal Meadow Management
- course
- NGEM01 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Keywords: Physical Geography, Ecosystem analysis, Gladiolus imbricatus, Tall perennial herb, Coastal grassland, Boreal Baltic coastal meadow, Pasture, Grazing, Meadow, Mowing, Estonia
- publication/series
- Student thesis series INES
- report number
- 661
- language
- English
- additional info
- This thesis was produced in cooperation with the Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMÜ). External supervisors: ELauri Laanisto, Marika Kose, and Nicola Pavanetto, Estonian University of Life Sciences.
- id
- 9167757
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-24 15:44:26
- date last changed
- 2024-06-24 15:44:26
@misc{9167757,
abstract = {{The tall perennial herb Gladiolus imbricatus is an endangered species within plant communities of semi-natural grasslands. Coastal meadows, extensively managed as pastures or meadows, are amongst its favored habitats and thrive with biodiversity in fauna and flora. However, following major land-use changes during the last century, proactive endeavors are necessary to prevent a loss of rare fauna and flora under overgrowing conditions. Long-term experiments and monitoring serve as strong references for observing developments in changing environments.
The three-year permanent plot experiment in this study evaluates the performance of a large population of G. imbricatus, subjected to different types of management practices including mowing at different dates and grazing at different intensities. The experimental setup was established in 2021 and comprises 36 plots in four different sites, characterized by different combinations of management types. The aim was to identify preliminary trends of G. imbricatus distribution with respect to the management types, and to identify ecological preferences of G. imbricatus with regards to the surrounding vegetation.
The findings from this study confirmed a higher total count of G. imbricatus in the meadows compared to the pastures. Mowing in the first half of July was preferred to late mowing, and grazing at high intensity was worse. In addition, crushing was found to be less favorable for the abundance of G. imbricatus compared to other management practices, and reedbeds had the lowest counts across all sites. With regards to its ecological preferences, a positive correlation between the count of G. imbricatus and the number of species in all sites was found. Positive trends in the vegetative height of surrounding vegetation were observed in the pastures, while negative trends were observed in the meadows. Another important result is the great difference not only between managements but also between sites in their response to the year.
The results from this study highlight the importance of long-term assessment of restoration and recovery and provide preliminary insights about preferred management strategies in the long term, offering a broad view of the ecological preferences of G. imbricatus in an extensively managed coastal meadow.}},
author = {{Uffrecht, Xenia}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{Student thesis series INES}},
title = {{Population of Gladiolus imbricatus under diverse management regimes in SW Estonia}},
year = {{2024}},
}