Semi-natural grassland continuity, long-term land-use change and plant species richness in an agricultural landscape on Öland, Sweden |
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Authors: | Lotten J. Johansson, Karin Hall, Honor C. Prentice, Margareta Ihse, Triin Reitalu, Martin T. Sykes,Merit Kindstr m |
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Affiliation: | aDepartment of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Analysis, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden;bPlant Ecology and Systematics, Department of Ecology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden;cDepartment of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden |
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Abstract: | The study characterizes historical land-use change and the development of semi-natural grassland habitats, over 274 years, within a mosaic agricultural landscape (22 km2) on the island of Öland (Sweden). We also explore the relationship between previous land-use, habitat continuity and present-day vascular plant species richness in grassland patches. Land-cover maps, based on cadastral maps and aerial photographs, were produced for six time-periods between 1723/1733 and 1994/1997. In 1723/1733, the landscape was dominated by grasslands, with arable land surrounding the villages. The grassland area decreased throughout the study period and grassland patches became progressively more fragmented. Present-day grasslands represent 18% of the grassland area in 1723/1733. The land-use structure of the early 18th century is still evident in the modern landscape. The majority of the present-day grasslands are situated on former common grazing land and have had a continuity of at least 274 years: the remaining grasslands are younger and developed during the 20th century on arable or forested land. The proportion of plant species that depend on grazing and are characteristic of semi-natural grasslands significantly reflects the continuity and previous land-use of grassland sites. The study illustrates the way in which information on historical land-use and habitat continuity can help to explain the structuring of plant assemblages in semi-natural grasslands within the modern landscape. |
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Keywords: | Aerial photographs Cadastral maps Habitat continuity Land-use history Rural landscape Vascular plant species |
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