Abstract
We asked: (i) Which environmental factors determine the level of α-diversity at several scales and β-diversity in steppic grasslands? (ii) How do the effects of environmental factors on α- and β-diversity vary between the different taxonomic groups (vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens)? We sampled nested-plot series ranging from 0.0001 to 100 m2 and additional 10-m2 plots, covering different vegetation types and management regimes in steppes and semi-natural dry grasslands of Central Podolia (Ukraine). We recorded all terricolous taxa and used topographic, soil, land-use and climatic variables as predictors. Richness-environment relationships at different scales and across taxonomic groups were assessed with multimodel inference. We also fitted power-law species-area relationships, using the exponent (z value) as a measure of β-diversity. In general, the richness values in the study region were intermediate compared to those known from similar grasslands throughout the Palaearctic, but for 1 cm2 we found seven species of vascular plants, a new world record. Heat index was the most important factor for vascular plants and bryophytes (negative relation), while lichen diversity depended mainly on stone and rock cover (positive). The explanatory power of climate-related variables increased with increasing grain size, while anthropogenic burning was the most important factor for richness patterns at the finest grain sizes (positive effect). The z values showed more variation at the finest grain sizes, but no significant differences in their mean between scales. The results highlight the importance of integrating scale into ecological analyses and nature conservation assessments in order to understand and manage biological diversity in steppe ecosystems.
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Acknowledgments
The study was jointly planned by J.D. (methodology) and A.A.K. (site selection and field work). A.A.K, T.B., Y.P.D., A.N. E.U., K.V. and J.D. were involved in the field sampling, while C.D. and M.J. determined critical cryptogams, and T.P. analysed the soil samples. M.J.S. (multimodel inference) and J.D. (species-area relationships) carried out the statistical analyses. The text was drafted by A.A.K, J.D. and M.J.S. while all authors critically revised it. We thank Ioana Violeta Ardelean, Ute Becker, Monica Beldean, Ina Cultasov, Thomas Haberler, Yulia Kazmirova, Igor Kuzemko, Aslan Ünal, Evgeniy I. Vorona and Olena H. Yavorska for their invaluable help with the field sampling, the Förderkreis für Allgemeine Naturkunde (Biologie) (www.fan-b.de) and the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG; www.edgg.org) for financial support of the research expedition as well as the International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS; http://www.iavs.org) and BAYHOST (http://www.uni-regensburg.de/bayhost), which made the three short research stays of the first author in the groups of the last author in Hamburg and Bayreuth possible, during which the analyses were conducted and the paper drafted. Laura Sutcliffe kindly polished our English language usage. Finally, we thank the co-ordinating editor, Péter Török, and two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments, which contributed significantly to the improvement of the manuscript.
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Kuzemko, A.A., Steinbauer, M.J., Becker, T. et al. Patterns and drivers of phytodiversity in steppe grasslands of Central Podolia (Ukraine). Biodivers Conserv 25, 2233–2250 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1060-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1060-7