Regular mowing as a nature conservation management of loess steppe: case study for control of Calamagrostis epigeios
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56617/tl.3807Keywords:
abandoned vineyards, biodiversity, forest-steppe zone, secondary meadow steppe, spontaneous succession, restoration, long term managementAbstract
Regeneration of seminatural grasslands are often threatened by the invasion of Calamagrostis epigeios, which can slow down or arrest secondary succession. Here we report the results of a 9-year mowing experiment designed to suppress the spread of C. epigeios in mid-successional grasslands in Hungary. The experimental design consisted of 16 permanent plots of 3×3 m. Half of the plots were mowed twice a year (in June and September), the other half was left as control. Vegetation was sampled in 2×2 m quadrates before mowing in each year between 2001−2009. The effects of mowing were tested using repeated–measure ANOVA and Tukey HSD for post-hoc tests. Significant decrease of C. epigeios appeared after two years of mowing. Species richness increased after four years, while diversity after eight years. By this time the target native species Brachypodium pinnatum become dominant. Similar trends appeared in the control plots during spontaneous succession but at much slower rates. Our results suggest that C. epigeios disappears spontaneously in secondary grassland succession after ca. 40−50 years. However, mowing twice a year can speed up this process by opening a “colonization window” to the valuable target species. For successful control, mowing should be maintained for approximately eight years.
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