Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T13:10:53.731Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Identification of the environmental factors which drive the botanical and functional composition of permanent grasslands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 June 2011

A. MICHAUD ,
S. PLANTUREUX ,
B. AMIAUD ,
P. CARRÈRE ,
P. CRUZ ,
M. DURU ,
B. DURY ,
A. FARRUGGIA ,
J. L. FIORELLI  and
E. KERNEIS
...Show all authors
A. MICHAUD*
Affiliation:
Institut de l'Elevage, Le Mourier 87900, Saint-Priest-Ligoure, France Nancy Université-INRA, UMR 1121 LAE, 2 avenue de la Forêt de Haye, 54501 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France INRA UR1213 Herbivores, F-63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
S. PLANTUREUX
Affiliation:
Nancy Université-INRA, UMR 1121 LAE, 2 avenue de la Forêt de Haye, 54501 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France
B. AMIAUD
Affiliation:
Nancy Université-INRA, UMR 1121 LAE, 2 avenue de la Forêt de Haye, 54501 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France
P. CARRÈRE
Affiliation:
INRA UR874 Ecosystème Prairial, 234 avenue du Brezet, F-63100 Clermont-Ferrand, France
P. CRUZ
Affiliation:
INRA-ENSAT UMR1248 AGIR, chemin de Borde-Rouge, PB 52627, 31325 Castanet-Tolosan, France
M. DURU
Affiliation:
INRA-ENSAT UMR1248 AGIR, chemin de Borde-Rouge, PB 52627, 31325 Castanet-Tolosan, France
B. DURY
Affiliation:
Chambre Agriculture Saône-et-Loire, BP 522, 71010 Macon, France
A. FARRUGGIA
Affiliation:
INRA UR1213 Herbivores, F-63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
J. L. FIORELLI
Affiliation:
INRA ASTER-Mirecourt, 662 avenue Louis-Buffet, 88500 Mirecourt, France
E. KERNEIS
Affiliation:
INRA Domaine du Bois-Maché, 545 rue Bois-Maché, 17450 Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée, France
R. BAUMONT
Affiliation:
INRA UR1213 Herbivores, F-63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: audrey.michaud@clermont.inra.fr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Managed grasslands provide environmental and agronomic services that can be predicted from the botanical and functional composition of the vegetation. These are influenced by management, edaphic and climatic factors. The present report set out to estimate and analyse the relative importance of management, soil and climate factors on botanical and functional characteristics of grassland vegetation. A set of 178 French grasslands having a large pedoclimatic and management gradient was selected, and information collected on botanical composition, pedoclimatic factors and management. Six vegetation characteristics were considered: two botanical (floristic composition and species dominance) and four functional (proportion of entomophilous species, number of oligotrophic species, leaf dry matter content and date of flowering). First, the links between the characteristics of the vegetation were analysed to check for any redundancy among them; all were kept. Second, it was demonstrated that botanical and functional characteristics were not driven by the same factors: functional composition was characterized by management, edaphic and climatic factors, whereas botanical composition was influenced mainly by climatic and edaphic factors plus other factors. Interactions between factors also have to be taken into consideration to predict botanical and functional composition of grasslands. Functional and botanical characteristics of vegetation help to predict ecosystem services delivered by grasslands and may be used in combination.

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 150 , Issue 2 , April 2012 , pp. 219 - 236
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agreste (2000). Les prairies en 1998 [Grasslands in 1998]. Agreste Chiffres et Données Agriculture 128, 1–73.Google Scholar
Al Haj Khaled, R., Duru, M., Theau, J. P., Plantureux, S. & Cruz, P. (2005). Variation in leaf traits through seasons and N-availability levels and its consequences for ranking grassland species. Journal of Vegetation Science 16, 391–398.Google Scholar
Allard, V., Soussana, J. F., Falcimagne, R., Berbigier, P., Bonnefond, J. M., Ceschia, E., D'hour, P., Henault, C., Laville, P., Martin, C. & Pinares-Patino, C. (2007). The role of grazing management for the net biome productivity and greenhouse gas budget (CO2, N2O and CH4) of semi-natural grassland. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 121, 47–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andueza, D., Cruz, P., Farruggia, A., Baumont, R., Picard, F. & Michalet-Doreau, B. (2010). Nutritive value of two meadows and relationships with some vegetation traits. Grass and Forage Science 65, 325–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ansquer, P., Duru, M., Theau, J.-P. & Cruz, P. (2009). Convergence in plant traits between species within grassland communities simplifies their monitoring. Ecological Indicators 9, 1020–1029.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Batary, P., Baldi, A., Sarospataki, M., Kohler, F., Verhulst, J., Knop, E., Herzog, F. & Kleijn, D. (2010). Effect of conservation management on bees and insect-pollinated grassland plant communities in three European countries. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 136, 35–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benizri, E. & Amiaud, B. (2005). Relationship between plants and soil microbial communities in fertilized grasslands. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 37, 2055–2064.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brum, O. B., Lopez, S., Garcia, R., Andres, S. & Calleja, A. (2009). Influence of harvest season, cutting frequency and nitrogen fertilization of mountain meadows on yield, floristic composition and protein content of herbage. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia 38, 596–604.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burel, F., Garnier, E., Amiaud, B., Aulagnier, S., Butet, A., Chauvel, B., Carre, G., Cortet, J., Couvet, D., Joly, P., Lescourret, F., Plantureux, S., Sarthou, J-P., Steinberg, C., Tichit, M., Vaissiere, B., Van Tuinen, D. & Villenave, C. (2009). Chapitre 1: les effets de l'agriculture sur la biodiversité. In ESCo: Agriculture et Biodiversité: Valoriser les synergies (Eds Le Roux, X., Barbault, R., Baudry, J., Burel, F., Doussan, I., Garnier, E., Herzog, F., Lavorel, S., Lifran, R., Roger-Estrade, J., Sarthou, J. P. & Trommetter, M.), pp. 1–175. Paris: INRA.Google Scholar
Cleland, E. E., Smith, M. D., Andelman, S. J., Bowles, C., Carney, K. M., Horner-Devine, M. C., Drake, J. M., Emery, S. M., Gramling, J. M. & Vandermast, D. B. (2004). Invasion in space and time: non-native species richness and relative abundance respond to interannual variation in productivity and diversity. Ecology Letters 7, 947–957.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cruz, P., Quadros, F. L. F., Theau, J. P., Frizzo, A., Jouany, C., Duru, M. & Carvalho, P. C. (2010). Leaf traits as functional descriptors of the intensity of continuous grazing in native grasslands in the south of Brazil. Rangeland Ecology and Management 63, 350–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Bello, F., Lavorel, S., Diaz, S., Harrington, R., Cornelissen, J. H. C., Bardgett, R. D., Berg, M. P., Cipriotti, P., Feld, C. K., Hering, D., Da Silva, P. M., Potts, S. G., Sandin, L., Sousa, J. P., Storkey, J., Wardle, D. A. & Harrison, P. A. (2010). Towards an assessment of multiple ecosystem processes and services via functional traits. Biodiversity and Conservation 19, 2873–2893.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delpech, R. (2005). Structure of some grassland and meadow plant communities from basic substrates of Vanoise mountains (France). Acta Botanica Gallica 152, 465–481.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diaz, S., Marcelo, C. & Casanoves, F. (1998). Plant functional traits and environmental filters at a regional scale. Journal of Vegetation Science 9, 113–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diaz, S., Lavorel, S., McIntyre, S., Falczuk, V., Casanoves, F., Milchunas, D. G., Skarpe, C., Rusch, G., Sternberg, M., Noy-Meir, I., Landsberg, J., Zhang, W., Clark, H. & Campbell, B. D. (2007). Plant trait responses to grazing-a global synthesis. Global Change Biology 13, 313–341.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dibb, D. W., Fixen, P. E. & Murphy, L. S. (1990). Balanced fertilization with particular reference to phosphates-interaction of phosphorus with other inputs and management-practices. Fertilizer Research 26, 29–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duru, M., Cruz, P., Theau, J.-P., Jouany, C., Ansquer, P., Al Haj Khaled, R. & Therond, O. (2007). Typologies des prairies riches en espèces en vue d'évaluer leur valeur d'usage: bases agro-écologiques et exemple d'application (typologies of multi-specific pastures in view of the assessment of their use value: agro-ecological bases and examples of applications). Fourrages 192, 453–475 (in French with English Summary).Google Scholar
Duru, M., Cruz, P., Al Haj Khaled, R., Ducourtieux, C. & Theau, J.-P. (2008). Relevance of plant functional types based on leaf dry matter content for assessing digestibility of native grass species and species-rich grassland communities in spring. Agronomy Journal 100, 1622–1630.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duru, M., Cruz, P. & Theau, J-P. (2010 a). A simplified method for characterising agronomic services provided by species-rich grassland. Crop and Pasture Science 61, 420–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duru, M., Ansquer, P., Jouany, C., Theau, J. P. & Cruz, P. (2010 b). Comparison of methods for assessing the impact of different disturbances and nutrient conditions upon functional characteristics of grassland communities. Annals of Botany 106, 823–831.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eitzinger, J., Orlandini, S., Stefanski, R. & Naylor, R. E. L. (2010). Climate change and agriculture: introductory editorial. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 148, 499–500.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellenberg, H. (1974). Zeigerwerte der Gefasspflanzen Mitteleuropas. Scripta Geobotanica 9, 1–97.Google Scholar
Fonseca, C. R., Overton, J. M., Collins, B. & Westoby, M. (2000). Shifts in trait-combinations along rainfall and phosphorus gradients. Journal of Ecology 88, 964–977.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grevilliot, F. & Muller, S. (1996). Study of the impact of the modification of agricultural practices on vegetal biodiversity in the flood plain meadows of the Meuse: methods and first results. Acta Botanica Gallica 143, 317–338.Google Scholar
Guillot-Fleury, P. (1995). Aptitude des couverts prairiaux à assurer des fonctions agricoles et environnementales: recherche méthodologique et application aux prairies de fauche des Alpes du Nord (Abilities of meadow cover to ensure agricultural and environmental functions. Methodological research and application to the hay meadows of the Northern Alps). PhD thesis, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France.Google Scholar
Hopkins, A. & Holz, B. (2006). Grassland for agriculture and nature conservation: production, quality and multi-functionality. Agronomy Research 4, 3–20.Google Scholar
Hopkins, A. & Wilkins, R. J. (2006). Temperate grassland: key developments in the last century and future perspectives. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 144, 503–523.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kahmen, S. & Poschold, P. (2008). Effect of grassland management on plant functional trait composition. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 128, 137–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kahmen, S., Poschold, P. & Schreiber, K-F. (2002). Conservation management of calcareous grassland. Changes in plant species composition and response of functional traits during 25 years. Biological Conservation 104, 319–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kapfer, A. (1988). Versuche zur Renaturierunggedungten Feuchtgrunlandes: Aushagerung und Vegetationsentwicklung (Studies on the Return of Fertilized Damp Grassland to its Natural Condition – Impoverishment and Vegetation Development). Dissertationes Botanicae 120. Berlin: Gebrüder Borntraeger Verlag.Google Scholar
Klimas, E. & Balezentiene, L. (2008). Fertilization impact on natural and sown grassland floristic improvement. Žemés ūkio Mokslai 15, 41–45.Google Scholar
Klimek, S., Kemmermann, A. R. G., Hofmann, M. & Isselstein, J. (2007). Plant species richness and composition in managed grasslands: the relative importance of field management and environmental factors. Biological Conservation 134, 559–570.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kohoutek, A., Pozdisek, J., Sramek, P., Odstrcilova, V., Nerusil, P., Komarek, P., Gaisler, J., Fiala, J., Micova, P. & Svozilova, M. (2005). Effects of fertilizer level and cutting frequency on yield and forage quality of grasslands. In Integrating Efficient Grassland Farming and Biodiversity: Proceedings of the 13th International Occasional Symposium of the European Grassland Federation (Eds Lillak, R., Viiralt, R., Linke, A. & Geherman, V.), pp. 332–335. Grassland Science in Europe vol. 10. Tartu, Estonia: European Grassland Federation.Google Scholar
Kopec, M., Zarzycki, J. & Gondek, K. (2010). Species diversity of submontane grasslands: effects of topographic and soil factors. Polish Journal of Ecology 58, 285–295.Google Scholar
Lavorel, S. & Garnier, E. (2002). Predicting changes in community composition and ecosystem functioning from plant traits: revisiting the Holy Grail. Functional Ecology 16, 545–556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lemaire, G. & Salette, J. (1984). Relation entre dynamique de croissance et dynamique de prélèvement d'azote pour un peuplement de graminées fourragères. I. Etude de l'effet du milieu (Relationship between growth and N uptake in a pure grass stand. I. Environmental effects). Agronomie 4, 423–430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lepš, J. & Šmilauer, P. (2003). Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lindemann-Matthies, P., Junge, X. & Matthies, D. (2010). The influence of plant diversity on people's perception and aesthetic appreciation of grassland vegetation. Biological Conservation 143, 195–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Louault, F., Pillar, V. D., Aufrere, J., Garnier, E. & Soussana, J-F. (2005). Plant traits and functional types in response to reduced disturbance in a semi-natural grassland. Journal of Vegetation Science 16, 151–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martini, A., Biondi, D., Batista, A. C. & Natal, C. M. (2010). Phenology of native species with landscaping potential. Semina-Ciencias Agrarias 31, 75–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matson, P. A., Parton, W. J., Power, A. G. & Swift, M. J. (1997). Agricultural intensification and ecosystem properties. Science 277, 504–509.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McIntyre, S. (2008). The role of plant leaf attributes in linking land use to ecosystem function in temperate grassy vegetation. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 128, 251–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ordonez, J. C., Van Bodegom, P. M., Witte, J.-P. M., Wright, I. J., Reich, P. B. & Aerts, R. (2010). A global study of relationships between leaf traits, climate and soil measures of nutrient fertility. Global Ecology and Biogeography 18, 137–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pakeman, R., Leps, J., Kleyer, M., Lavorel, S., Garnier, E. & The Vista Consortium (2009). Relative climatic, edaphic and management controls of plant functional trait signatures. Journal of Vegetation Science 20, 148–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parris, K. (2002). Grasslands and the environment: recent European trends and future directions – an OECD perspective. In Multi-function Grasslands: Quality Forages, Animal Products and Landscapes: Proceedings of the 19th General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation (Eds Durand, J.-L., Emile, J.-C., Huyghe, C. & Lemaire, G.), pp. 957–985. Grassland Science in Europe, vol. 7. La Rochelle, France: European Grassland Federation.Google Scholar
Pavlu, V., Hejcman, M., Pavlu, L. & Gaisler, J. (2007). Restoration of grazing management and its effect on vegetation in an upland grassland. Applied Vegetation Science 10, 375–382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peter-Schmid, M. K. I., Kolliker, R. & Boller, B. (2008). Value of permanent grassland habitats as reservoirs of Festuca pratensis Huds. and Lolium multiflorum Lam. populations for breeding and conservation. Euphytica 164, 239–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plantureux, S., Bonischot, R. & Guckert, A. (1993). Classification, vegetation dynamics and forage production of permanent pastures in Lorraine. European Journal of Agronomy 2, 11–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plantureux, S., Ney, A. & Amiaud, B. (2010). Evaluation of the agronomical and environmental relevance of the CAP measure ‘flowering grassland’. In Grassland in a Changing World: Proceedings of the 23rd General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation (Eds Schnyder, H., Isselstein, J., Taube, F., Auerswald, K., Schellberg, J., Wachendorf, M., Herrmann, A., Gierus, M., Wrage, N. & Hopkins, A.), pp. 666–668. Grassland Science in Europe, vol. 15. Kiel, Germany: European Grassland Federation.Google Scholar
Polley, H. W., Morgan, J. A. & Fay, P. A. (2011). Application of a conceptual framework to interpret variability in rangeland responses to atmospheric CO2 enrichment. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 149, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potts, S. G., Woodcock, B. A., Roberts, S. P. M., Tscheulin, T., Pilgrim, E. S., Brown, V. K. & Tallowin, J. R. (2009). Enhancing pollinator biodiversity in intensive grasslands. Journal of Applied Ecology 46, 369–379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reid, W. V., Mooney, H. A., Cropper, A., Capistrano, D., Carpenter, S. R., Chopra, K., Dasgupta, P., Dietz, T., Duraiappah, A. K., Hassan, R., Kasperson, R., Leemans, R., May, R. M., Mcmichael, A. J., Pingali, P., Samper, C., Scholes, R., Watson, R. T., Zakri, A. H., Shidong, Z., Ash, N. J., Benett, E., Kumar, P., Lee, M. J., Raudsepp-Hearne, C., Simons, H., Thoell, J. & Zurek, N. B. (2005). Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis. A Report of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Washington, DC: Island Press.Google Scholar
Rudmann-Maure, K., Weyand, A., Fischer, M. & Stöcklin, J. (2008). The role of landuse and natural determinants for grassland vegetation composition in the Swiss Alps. Basic and Applied Ecology 9, 94–503.Google Scholar
Seghieri, J., Vescovo, A., Padel, K., Soubie, R., Arjounin, M., Boulain, N., De Rosnay, P., Galle, S., Gosset, M., Mouctar, A. H., Peugeot, C. & Timouk, F. (2009). Relationships between climate, soil moisture and phenology of the woody cover in two sites located along the West African latitudinal gradient. Journal of Hydrology 375, 78–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaffers, A. P. & Sykora, K. V. (2000). Reliability of Ellenberg indicator values for moisture, nitrogen and soil reaction: a comparison with field measurements. Journal of Vegetation Science 11, 225–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soussana, J.-F. & Luscher, A. (2007). Temperate grassland and global atmospheric change: a review. Grass and Forage Science 62, 127–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ter Braak, C. J. F. & Šmilauer, P. (2002). CANOCO Reference Manual and CanocoDraw for Windows User's Guide: Software for Canonical Community Ordination (version 4.5). Ithaca, NY: Microcomputer Power.Google Scholar
Theau, J-P. & Zerourou, A. (2008). Herb'âge, une méthode de calcul des sommes de température pour la gestion des prairies (Herb'âge, a method of sum of temperatures calculation for grassland management). In Symposium International VISTA –WP5. Outils pour la Gestion des Couverts Prairiaux (Eds Cruz, P., Jouany, C. & Theau, J.-P.), pp. 91–102. Les Cahiers d'Orphée. Toulouse, France: INRA UMR AGIR.Google Scholar
Weibull, A. C. & Ostman, O. (2003). Species composition in agroecosystems: the effect of landscape, habitat, and farm management. Basic and Applied Ecology 4, 349–361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ziegler, D. & Heduit, M. (1991). Engrais de Ferme: Valeur Fertilisante, Gestion, Environnement. Paris, France: ITP & ITCF.Google Scholar