Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of short-term grazing exclusion on vegetation and soil in early succession of a Subhumid Mediterranean reclaimed coal mine

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aims

To assess the short-term effect of herbivory exclusion on vegetation and soil and to relate differences in floristic composition to changes in soil properties in a reclaimed coal mine in northern Spain.

Methods

Two adjacent main plots of 50 × 50 m, one fenced to prevent ungulates grazing and the other not, were established in a north-facing slope to analyze differences in the soil and plant community in the short time.

Results

A clear influence of grazing exclusion on soil properties and plant community composition and structure was found but no influence on species diversity. However, only three soil parameters (organic matter, K, and Mg, with higher values in the ungrazed community) were related to the differences in floristic composition. Species responses to the soil gradient from ungrazed to grazed areas were also related to their particular life-history traits. No trend in the dispersal-mode replacement was found.

Conclussion

Herbivores could be a key factor preventing revegetation at early stages of succession in the study area, although they could play a key role as efficient seed dispersers, particularly of endozoochorous legume species, and controlling the expansion of dominant introduced species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

References

  • Abaturov BD (1979) Peculiarities of trophic interrelationships involving plant-animal interactions in pasture ecosystems. Agro-Ecosystems 5:317–327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alday JG, Marrs RH, Martínez-Ruiz C (2011a) Vegetation succession on reclaimed coal wastes in Spain: the influence of soil and environmental factors. Appl Veg Sci 14:84–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alday JG, Pallavicini Y, Marrs RH, Martínez-Ruiz C (2011b) Functional groups and dispersal strategies as guides for predicting vegetation dynamics on reclaimed mines. Plant Ecol 212:1759–1775

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alday JG, Marrs RH, Martínez-Ruiz C (2012) Soil and vegetation development during early succession on restored coal wastes: a six-year permanent plot study. Plant Soil 353:305–320

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Alday JG, Santana VM, Marrs RH, Martínez-Ruiz C (2014) Shrub-induced understory vegetation changes in reclaimed mine sites. Ecol Eng 73:691–698

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldezabal A, García-González R, Gómez D, Fillat F (2002) El papel de los herbívoros en la conservación de los pastos. Ecosistemas 2002/3. www.aeet.org/ecosistemas/investigacion6.htm

  • Al-Seekh SH, Mohammad AG, Amor YA (2009) Effect of grazing on soil properties at southern part of West Bank rangeland. Hebron Univ Res J 4:35–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrzejemaska L (1979) Herbivorous fauna and its role in the economy of grassland ecosystems II. The role of herbivores in trophic relationships. Pol Ecol Stud 5:45–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagheri R, Mohseni SM, Chaeichi M (2009) Effect of grazing intensity on some soil chemical properties in a semi-arid region study case: Khabr National Park News and near rangeland. Rangeland 3:395–412

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakker ES (2003) Herbivores as mediators of their environment: the impact of large and small species on vegetation dynamics. PhD Dissertation; Wageningen University, The Netherlands

  • Bakker JP, Berendse F (1999) Constraints in the restoration of ecological diversity in grassland and heathland communities. Trees 14:63–68

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bigger D, Marvier M (1998) How different would a world without herbivory be?: a search for generality in ecology. Integr Biol 1:60–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanco R (2004) Land evaluation for extensive grazing by estimating soil vulnerability to degradation: a case study in a goat farm in southern Spain. In: Schnabel S, Ferreira A (eds) Sustainability of agro-silvo-pastoral systems -Dehesas, Montados-advances in GeoEcology 37. Catena Verlag, Reiskirchen, pp 65–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Cebrián J (2004) Role of first-order consumers in ecosystem carbon flow. Ecol Lett 7:232–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Li Y, Zhao X, Awada T, Shang W, Han J (2012) Effects of grazing exclusion on soil properties and on ecosystem carbon and nitrogen storage in a sandy rangeland of Inner Mongolia, Northern China. Environ Manag 50:622–632

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooke JA, Johnson MS (2002) Ecological restoration of land with particular reference to the mining of metals and industrial minerals: a review of theory and practice. Environ Rev 10:41–71

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • De Kovel CGF, Van Mierlo EM, Wilms YJO, Berendse F (2000) Carbon and nitrogen in soil and vegetation at sites differing in successional age. Plant Ecol 149:43–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denyer JL, Hartley SE, John EA (2010) Both bottom-up and top-down processes contribute to plant diversity maintenance in an edaphically heterogeneous ecosystem. J Ecol 98:498–508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Detling JK (1988) Grassland and savannas: regulation of energy flow and nutrient cycling by herbivores. In: Pomeroy LR, Alberts JJ (eds) Concepts of ecosystem ecology. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp 131–148

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Díaz S, Lavorel S, MCIntyrez S, Falczuk V, Casanoves F, Milchunas G, Skarpek C, Ruschk G, Sternberg M, Noy-Meir I, Landsberg J, Zhang W, Clark H, Campbell B (2007) Plant trait responses to grazing – a global synthesis. Glob Chang Biol 13:313–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dodd M, Silvertown J, McConway K, Potts J, Crawley M (1995) Community stability: a 60-year record of trends and outbreaks in the occurrence of species in the park grass experiment. J Ecol 83:277–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eviner VT, Chapin FS (2003) Functional matrix: a conceptual framework for predicting multiple plant effects on ecosystem processes. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 34:455–485

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ford H, Garbutta A, Jonesb DL, Jones L (2012) Impacts of grazing abandonment on ecosystem service provision: coastal grassland as a model system. Agric Ecosyst Environ 162:108–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frouz J, Prach K, Pižl V, Háněl L, Starý J, Tajovský K, Materna J, Balík V, Kalčík J, Řehounková K (2008) Interactions between soil development, vegetation and soil fauna during spontaneous succession in post mining sites. Eur J Soil Biol 44:109–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García-Ruiz JM, Beguería S, Lana-Renault N, Nadal-Romero E, Cerdà A (2017) Ongoing and emerging questions in water erosion studies. Land Degrad Dev 28:5–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • González-Alday J, Marrs R, Martínez-Ruiz C (2008) The influence of aspect on the early growth dynamics of hydroseeded species in coal reclamation areas. Appl Veg Sci 11:405–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • González-Alday J, Marrs RH, Martínez-Ruiz C (2009) Soil seed bank formation during early revegetation after hydroseeding in reclaimed coal wastes. Ecol Eng 35:1062–1069

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grigg A (2001) How much grazing? Options for rehabilitated grasslands after opencut coal mining in Central Queensland. Ecol Manag Restor 2:151–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Grigg A, Shelton M, Mullen B (2000) The nature and management of rehabilitated pastures on open-cut coal mines in Central Queensland. Trop Grassl 34:242–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Grime JP (1977) Evidence for the existence of three primary strategies in plants and its relevance to ecological and evolutionary theory. Am Nat 111:1169–1194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grime JP (2001) Plant strategies, vegetation processes, and ecosystem properties, 2nd edn. John Wiley & Sons, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gurevitch J, Morrison JA, Hedges LV (2000) The interaction between competition and predation: a meta-analysis of field experiments. Am Nat 155:435–453

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hellström K, Huhta AP, Rautio P, Tuomi J, Oksanen J, Laine K (2003) Use of sheep grazing in the restoration of semi-natural meadows in northern Finland. Appl Veg Sci 6:45–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosseinzadeh G, Jalilvand H, Tamartash R (2010) Short time impact of enclosure on vegetation cover, productivity and some physical and chemical soil properties. J Appl Sci 10:2001–2009

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huhta AP, Hellstrom K, Rautio P, Tuomi J (2003) Grazing tolerance of Gentianella ameralla and other monocarpic herbs: why is tolerance highest at low damage levels? Plant Ecol 166:49–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huisman J, Olff H, Fresco LFM (1993) A hierarchical set of models for species response analysis. J Veg Sce 4:37–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huntly N (1991) Herbivores and the dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 22:477–503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JB, Omland KS (2004) Model selection in ecology and evolution. Trends Ecol Evol 19:101–108

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kirmer A, Tischew S, Ozinga WA, Lampe M, Baasch A, van Groenendael JM (2008) Importance of regional species pools and functional traits in colonisation processes: predicting re-colonisation after large-scale destruction of ecosystems. J Appl Ecol 45:1523–1530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohandel A, Arzani H, Hosseini M (2006) Effect of grazing intensity on N. P. K of soil. Iran-watershed manage. Sci Eng 3:59–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger-Mangold JM, Sheley RL, Svejcar TJ (2006) Toward ecologically-based invasive plant management on rangeland. Weed Sci 54:597–605

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kumbasli M, Makineci E, Cakir M, Ozturk M (2010) Long term effects of red deer (Cervus elaphus) grazing on soil in a breeding area. J Environ Biol 31:185–188

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laurence DC (2001) Mine closure and the community. Mining Environ Manag 9:10–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Legendre P, Legendre L (2003) Numerical ecology, 3rd edn. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Levine JM, Pachepsky E, Kendall BE, Yelenik SG, Lambers JHR (2006) Plant-soil feedbacks and invasive spread. Ecol Lett 9:1005–1014

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maczkowiack RI, Smith CS, Slaughter GJ, Mulligan DR, Cameron DC (2012) Grazing as a post-mining land use: a conceptual model of the risk factors. Agric Syst 109:76–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Ruiz C, Marrs RH (2007) Some factors affecting successional change on uranium mine wastes: insights for ecological restoration. Appl Veg Sci 10:333–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinsen V, Mulder J, Austrheim G, Mysterud A (2011) Carbon storage in low-alpine grassland soils: effects of different grazing intensities of sheep. Eur J Soil Sci 62:822–833

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McIntosh PD, Allen RB (1998) Effect of exclosure on soils, biomass, plant nutrients, and vegetation, on unfetilised steeplands, upper Waitaki District, South Island, New Zeland. New Zealand J Ecol 22:209–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Medina-Roldán E, Paz-Ferreiro J, Bardgett RD (2012) Grazing exclusion affects soil and plant communities, but has no impact on soil carbon storage in an upland grassland. Agric Ecosyst Environ 149:118–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milchunas DG (2006) Responses of plant communities to grazing in the southwestern United States. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-169. Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO

  • Milchunas DG, Lauenroth WK (1993) Quantitative effects of grazing on vegetation and soil over a global range of environments. Ecol Monogr 63:327–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milchunas DG, Sala OE, Lauenroth W (1988) A generalized model of the effects of grazing by large herbivores on grassland community structure. Am Nat 132:87–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milder AI, Fernández-Santos B, Martínez-Ruiz C (2013) Colonization patterns of woody species on lands mined for coal in Spain: preliminary insights for forest expansion. Land Degrad Dev 24:39–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno-de las Heras M, Nicolau JM, Espigares T (2008) Vegetation succession in reclaimed coal-mining slopes in a Mediterranean-dry environment. Ecol Eng 34:168–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz A, Basanta M, Díaz-Vizcaíno E, Reyes O, Casal M (2014) Land use changes effect on floristic composition, diversity and surface occupied by Erica ciliaris and Erica tetralix heathlands of NW Spain. Land Degrad Dev 25:532–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naeth MA (1988) The impact of grazing on litter and hydrology in mixed prairie and fescue grassland ecosystem of Alberta. PhD Dissertation. University of Alberta, Canada

  • Noy-Meir I, Gutman M, Kaplan Y (1989) Responses of Mediterranean grasslands plants to grazing and protection. J Ecol 77:290–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oksanen J (2004) Gradient analysis of vegetation (Gravy) software, version 0.0–21. http://cc.oulu.fi/~jarioksa/softhelp/softalist.html

  • Olff H, Ritchie ME (1998) Effects of herbivores on grassland plant diversity. Trends Ecol Evol 13:261–265

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Osem Y, Perevolotsky A, Kigel J (2004) Site productivity and plant size explain the response of annual species to grazing exclusion in a Mediterranean semi-arid rangeland. J Ecol 92:297–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pallavicini Y, Alday JG, Marrs RH, Martínez-Ruiz C (2015) Factors affecting herbaceous richness and biomass accumulation patterns of reclaimed coal mines. Land Degrad Dev 26:211–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmborg C, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Jumpponen A, Carlsson G, Huss-Danell K, Högberg P (2005) Inorganic soil nitrogen under grassland plant communities of different species composition and diversity. Oikos 110:271–282

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parson M, Koch J, Lamont B, Vlahos S, Fairbanks M (2006) Planting density effects and selective herbivory by kangaroos on species used in restoring forest communities. For Ecol Manag 229:39–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons MH, Lamont BB, Koch JM, Dods K (2007) Disentangling competition, herbivory, and seasonal effects on young plants in newly restored communities. Restor Ecol 15:250–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters HA, Cieland EE, Mooney HA, Field CB (2006) Herbivore control of annual grassland composition in current and future environments. Ecol Lett 9:86–94

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poesen J, Ingelmo F (1992) Runoff and sediment yield from topsoils with different porosity as affected by rock fragment cover and position. Catena 19:451–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prach K, Hobbs RJ (2008) Spontaneous succession versus technical reclamation in the restoration of disturbed sites. Restor Ecol 16:363–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prach K, Pysek P, Jarosik V (2007) Climate and pH as determinants of vegetation succession in central-European man-made habitats. J Veg Sci 18:701–710

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pulido M, Schnabel S, Lavado Contador JF, Lozano-Parra J, González F (2016) The impact of heavy grazing on soil quality and pasture production in rangelands of SW Spain. Land Degrad Dev 29:219–230. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pywell RF, Bullock JM, Roy DB, Warman LIZ, Walker KJ, Rothery P (2003) Plant traits as predictors of performance in ecological restoration. J Appl Ecol 40:65–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2013) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna URL: http://www.r-project.org

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossiter RC (1966) Ecology of the Mediterranean annual-type pasture. J Agron Crop Sci 18:1–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Sedigheh Z, Mohammad J, Hossein A, Seyyed AJ, Ali AJ (2012) Grazing effects on some of the physical and chemical properties of soil. World Appl Sci J 20:205–212

    Google Scholar 

  • Shang ZH, Deng B, Ding L, Ren G, Xin G, Liu Z, Wang Y, Long R (2013) The effects of three years of fencing enclosure on soil seed banks and the relationship with above-ground vegetation of degraded alpine grasslands of the Tibetan plateau. Plant Soil 364:229–244

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sigcha F (2013) Efectos de la exclusión de grandes herbívoros sobre la vegetación y el suelo, en minas de carbón restauradas en el norte de Palencia. Master Thesis, University of Valladolid

  • Ter Braak CJF, Šmilauer P (2002) CANOCO Reference Manual and User’s Guide to Canoco for Windows: Software for Canocical Community Ordination (Version 4.5). Microcomputer Power, Ithaca, NY

  • Tilman D (1982) Resource competition and community structure. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Torroba-Balmori P, Zaldívar P, Alday JG, Fernández-Santos B, Martínez-Ruiz C (2015) Recovering Quercus species on reclaimed coal wastes using native shrubs as restoration nurse plants. Ecol Eng 77:146–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vinton MA, Goergen EM (2006) Plant-soil feedbacks contribute to the persistence of Bromus inermis in tallgrass prairie. Ecosystems 9:967–976

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wardle DA (2002) Communities and ecosystems: linking the aboveground and belowground components. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Willms WD, Smoliak S, Baily AW (1986) Herbage production following litter removal on Alberta native grasslands. J Range Manag 39:536–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zarekia S, Jafari M, Arzani H, Javadi SA, Jafari AA (2012) Grazing effects on physical and chemical properties of soil. World Appl Sci J 20:205–212

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the mining company ‘UMINSA’ (Unión Minera del Norte, S.A.) for their collaboration in the field experiment implementation and Juan Manuel Diez Clivillé for English assistance. We also thank the responsible editor, Zucong Cai, and three anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments to improve the manuscript. This study was partially supported by the Project VA042A10-2 from ‘Junta de Castilla y León’ to C. Martínez-Ruiz.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, E.T.S de Ingenierías Agrarias, Universidad de Valladolid, Avda. de Madrid 50, 34071, Palencia, Spain

    F. Sigcha, Y. Pallavicini & C. Martínez-Ruiz

  2. Departamento de Tecnología Minera, Topografía y de Estructuras. Escuela Superior y Técnica de Ingenieros de minas, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071, León, Spain

    M. J. Camino

  3. Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, E.T.S.II.AA, Universidad de Valladolid-INIA, Avda de Madrid 50, 34071, Palencia, Spain

    C. Martínez-Ruiz

Authors
  1. F. Sigcha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Y. Pallavicini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. J. Camino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C. Martínez-Ruiz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Martínez-Ruiz.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Zucong Cai.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sigcha, F., Pallavicini, Y., Camino, M.J. et al. Effects of short-term grazing exclusion on vegetation and soil in early succession of a Subhumid Mediterranean reclaimed coal mine. Plant Soil 426, 197–209 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-018-3629-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-018-3629-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation