Effect of climate extremes and grazing on functional traits of a grassland community: insights from a 20-year experiment
We found that grazing pressure generally promoted functional diversity but led to rapid shifts in community composition when combined with prolonged drought events. In contrast, the ungrazed community, dominated by species with conservative resource-use strategies, showed more stable functional richness and divergence, as well as a reduced sensitivity to climatic extremes. These results underscore the importance of carefully evaluating grazing in the context of climate change, particularly to guide restoration and conservation efforts.
Authors
- Eleonora Beccari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0852-1970)
- Enrico Tordoni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9722-6692)
- Francesco Petruzzellis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3635-8501)
- Giovanni Bacaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0946-4496)
- Carlo Ricotta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0818-3959)
- Andrea Nardini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5208-0087)
- Emanuele Fanfarillo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5742-737X)
- Duccio Rocchini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0087-0594)
- Luisa Conti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8047-1467)
- Miris Castello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5081-0365)
- Nicola Pavanetto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9441-863X)
- Simona Maccherini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2025-7546)
Institutions
- University of Siena (IT)
- University of Padua (IT)
- University of Trieste (IT)
- Estonian University of Life Sciences (EE)
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZ)
- University of Tartu (EE)
- Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
- University of Palermo (IT)
- University of Bologna (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Annals of Botany
- Published
- 2025-04-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf059
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.72