Short-Term Abandonment versus Mowing in a Mediterranean-Temperate Meadow: Effects on Floristic Composition, Plant Functionality, and Soil Properties—A Case Study

Francesca Vannucchi, Valerio Lazzeri, Irene Rosellini, Manuele Scatena, Claudia Caudai and Francesca Bretzel
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Francesca Vannucchi: Research institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Valerio Lazzeri: Research institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Irene Rosellini: Research institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Manuele Scatena: Research institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Claudia Caudai: Institute for Information Science and Technologies “Alessandro Faedo”-National Research Council, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Francesca Bretzel: Research institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Hay meadows are secondary grasslands maintained by mowing, and their ecological importance resides in the inherent biodiversity and carbon stocking. We investigated the plant community and soil properties of a sub humid acid grassland near the Fucecchio marshes (Italy), managed as a hay meadow, mowed once a year, and not fertilized. Part of the meadow had been abandoned for three years. We analysed the soil properties (i.e., organic carbon and total nitrogen content, available phosphorus, pH, cation-exchange capacity, texture, and conductibility) and the plant community structure (composition, functionality, and species richness) of the two sides of the meadow (mowed and abandoned). Our aim was to highlight the changes in soil properties and vegetation community, and to find out to what extent abandonment can affect those dynamics. Our results showed that after short-term abandonment, soil pH, C and N increased; litter biomass and perennial forbs increased; and annual forbs decreased. New species colonising after abandonment, thus enriching the flora, may keep spreading and eventually hinder the growth of the specialists if mowing is not resumed. Certain valuable meadow habitats need constant human intervention to maintain their peculiar vegetation, most especially if they are a buffer zone in the proximity of natural protected areas.

Keywords: Anthoxanthum odoratum; plant cover; species richness; soil nitrogen; soil pH; plant functional types; Fucecchio marshes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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