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Community structure and diversity of bryophytes and vascular plants in abandoned fen meadows

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Abstract

We examined effects of abandonment on species diversity and species composition by comparing 21 calcareous fen meadows in the pre-alpine zone of central and northeastern Switzerland. Meadows were divided into three classes of successional stages (mown: annually mown in late summer, young fallow: 4–15 years, and old fallow: >15 years of abandonment). In each fen, we measured litter mass in four 20 cm×20 cm plots, as well as (aboveground) biomass and species density (number of species per unit area) of bryophytes and vascular plants. Bryophyte biomass was reduced in abandoned fens, whereas litter mass and aboveground biomass of vascular plants increased. Species density of both taxonomic groups was lower in abandoned than in mown fens. Young and old successional stages were not different except for bryophytes, for which old successional stages had higher species density than young stages. We used litter mass and aboveground biomass of vascular plants as covariables in analyses of variance to reveal their effects on species density of both taxonomic groups. For bryophytes, litter mass was more important than vascular plant biomass in explaining variance of species density. This indicates severe effects of burying by litter on bryophyte species density. For species density of vascular plants, both vascular plant biomass and litter mass were of similar importance in explaining the decreased species density. Canonical correspondence analyses showed that abandonment also had an effect on species composition of both bryophytes and vascular plants. However, young and old successional stages were not different indicating fast initial changes after abandonment, but slow secondary succession afterwards. Furthermore, indicator species analysis showed that there was no establishment of new species after abandonment that might dramatically alter fen communities. Re-introduction of mowing as a nature conservation strategy may thus be very promising – even for old fallows.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Regula Billeter and Matthias Diemer for allowing us to use their field design and for improving a previous version of the manuscript, Oliver Schelske for help in the field and Karin Oetiker for providing her soil pH data. The study was financed partly by a grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation (Project 31-50669.97) to M. Diemer.

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  1. Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland

    Markus Peintinger

  2. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Ariel Bergamini

  3. Güttinger Str. 8/1, D-78315, Radolfzell, Germany

    Markus Peintinger

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  1. Markus Peintinger
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  2. Ariel Bergamini
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Correspondence to Markus Peintinger.

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Peintinger, M., Bergamini, A. Community structure and diversity of bryophytes and vascular plants in abandoned fen meadows. Plant Ecol 185, 1–17 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-005-9079-y

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