0000000000925197

AUTHOR

Kaisa Tervonen

0000-0003-4907-4097

Grazing and soil pH are biodiversity drivers of vascular plants and bryophytes in boreal wood-pastures

Abstract Wood-pastures have been formed by traditional low-intensity livestock grazing in wooded areas. They host high biodiversity values that are now threatened by both management abandonment (ceased grazing) and agricultural intensification, and therefore these habitats are of conservation interest in Europe. In order to explore the effects of grazing on the biodiversity of boreal wood-pastures, we studied the communities of vascular plants and bryophytes in 24 currently grazed and 24 abandoned sites. In addition to the current management situation, we studied the effects of soil pH and moisture, tree density, historical land-use intensity, time since abandonment (in abandoned sites) and…

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Ectomycorrhizal fungi in wood-pastures : Communities are determined by trees and soil properties, not by grazing

Traditional rural biotopes such as wood-pastures are species-rich environments that have been created by low-intensity agriculture. Their amount has decreased dramatically during the 20th century in whole Europe due to the intensification of agriculture. Wood-pastures host some fungal species that prefer warm areas and are adapted to semi-open conditions, but still very little is known about fungi in these habitats. We studied how management, historical land-use intensity, present grazing intensity, time since abandonment, and stand conditions affect the species richness and community composition of ectomycorrhizal fungi. We surveyed fruit bodies on three 10 m × 10 m study plots in 36 sites…

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New national and regional biological records for Finland 5. Contributions to agaricoid and ascomycetoid taxa of fungi 4

One genera of agaricoid fungi (Basidiomycota): Romagnesiella and 12 species are reported as new to Finland: Agaricus macrocarpus, Arrhenia obatra, Arrhenia obscurata, Arrhenia rigidipes, Coprinellus brevisetulosus, Coprinus candidatus, Entoloma plebejum, Hydnum vesterholtii, Inocybe phaeocystidiosa, Mycena clavata, Omphalina arctica and Romagnesiella clavus. Two genera of ascomycetoid fungi (Ascomycota): Strossmayeria, Phaeomollisia and 8 species are reported as new to Finland: Arachnopeziza delicatula, Hyaloscypha diabolica, Hyalopeziza cf. tianschanica, Phaeomollisia piceae, Phialina pseudopuberula, Sphaeropezia hepaticarum, Strossmayeria basitricha and Trichopeziza subsulphurea. Informat…

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Grazing and abandonment determine different tree dynamics in wood-pastures

Wood-pastures are threatened biotopes in which trees and livestock grazing maintain high conservation values. However, browsing may threaten tree regeneration, whereas abandonment leads to tree encroachment. We studied the regeneration of trees in a grazed and abandoned boreal wood-pastures. In grazed sites, the density of young spruces (Picea abies) was high, while the density of young birches (Betula spp.) was very low. Sprucification can be prevented only by removing spruces. The number of young birches and pines (Pinus sylvestris) was correlated with the number of junipers (Juniperus communis), probably because thorny junipers protect palatable seedlings from browsing. In abandoned site…

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The effects of grazing history, soil properties and stand structure on the communities of saprotrophic fungi in wood-pastures

Wood-pastures are threatened anthropogenic biotopes that provide habitat for an extensive group of species. Here we studied the effect of management, grazing intensity, time since abandonment, historical land-use intensity, soil properties and stand conditions on communities of saprotrophic fungi in wood-pastures in Central Finland. We found that the proportion of broadleaved trees and soil pH are the major drivers in the communities of saprotrophic fungi in these boreal wood-pastures. In addition, tree species richness, soil moisture, historical land-use intensity and time since abandonment affected the communities of saprotrophic fungi. Current management or grazing intensity did not have…

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