Increasing Biodiversity in Livestock Production Systems: Plant Traits and Natural Regeneration Capacity of Woody Vegetation in Actively Managed Grasslands
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Silvopastoral systems of Meso America and Northern South America: Chará, J. & Jose, S. (eds) . ed. / Julian Chara; Shibu Jose. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2023. p. 279-305.
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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TY - CHAP
T1 - Increasing Biodiversity in Livestock Production Systems: Plant Traits and Natural Regeneration Capacity of Woody Vegetation in Actively Managed Grasslands
AU - Sheik, M. Jimena Esquivel
AU - Finegan, Bryan
AU - Healey, John
AU - Casonoves, Fernando
PY - 2023/12/1
Y1 - 2023/12/1
N2 - Species’ natural regeneration capacity is an ecological property of plant communities that is key to restoring diversity after disturbances and to conserving the delivery of related ecosystem services within agroecosystems. Reduced diversity of trees and shrubs promoted by conventional and intensive livestock pastureland management can reduce capacity for natural regeneration, negatively affecting current and future ecological processes. We evaluate the relationships between the cover of woody species with different plant traits and the abundance of naturally regenerated seedlings and saplings within conventional pastureland management. Four main dimensions of plant traits (leaf, stem density, canopy height and reproductive variability spectra) were measured for the 76 woody species most commonly found within conventionally managed pastureland in the Mesoamerican region. All these plant traits were correlated with species’ abundance and natural regeneration capacity. Under current practices, there is a risk of decrease in functional diversity of woody components and their capacity to deliver ecosystem services due to loss of species with a low regeneration capacity. The development of livestock management strategies, like agroforestry, natural regeneration management and specifically silvopastoral systems that take into account woody plant traits, are important to conserve current and future agro-biodiversity and potential delivery of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.
AB - Species’ natural regeneration capacity is an ecological property of plant communities that is key to restoring diversity after disturbances and to conserving the delivery of related ecosystem services within agroecosystems. Reduced diversity of trees and shrubs promoted by conventional and intensive livestock pastureland management can reduce capacity for natural regeneration, negatively affecting current and future ecological processes. We evaluate the relationships between the cover of woody species with different plant traits and the abundance of naturally regenerated seedlings and saplings within conventional pastureland management. Four main dimensions of plant traits (leaf, stem density, canopy height and reproductive variability spectra) were measured for the 76 woody species most commonly found within conventionally managed pastureland in the Mesoamerican region. All these plant traits were correlated with species’ abundance and natural regeneration capacity. Under current practices, there is a risk of decrease in functional diversity of woody components and their capacity to deliver ecosystem services due to loss of species with a low regeneration capacity. The development of livestock management strategies, like agroforestry, natural regeneration management and specifically silvopastoral systems that take into account woody plant traits, are important to conserve current and future agro-biodiversity and potential delivery of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-031-43063-3_14
DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-43063-3_14
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9783031430626
SP - 279
EP - 305
BT - Silvopastoral systems of Meso America and Northern South America
A2 - Chara, Julian
A2 - Jose, Shibu
PB - Springer Nature Switzerland AG
ER -