A1 Journal article (refereed)
Road verges provide alternative habitats for some, but not all, meadow plants (2021)
Oldén, A., Pitkämäki, T., Halme, P., Komonen, A., & Raatikainen, K. J. (2021). Road verges provide alternative habitats for some, but not all, meadow plants. Applied Vegetation Science, 24(3), Article e12594. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12594
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Oldén, Anna; Pitkämäki, Tinja; Halme, Panu; Komonen, Atte; Raatikainen, Kaisa J.
Journal or series: Applied Vegetation Science
ISSN: 1402-2001
eISSN: 1654-109X
Publication year: 2021
Publication date: 19/06/2021
Volume: 24
Issue number: 3
Article number: e12594
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Publication country: United States
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12594
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel
Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/77300
Abstract
Agricultural intensification has led to the decline of biodiverse meadows and other semi-natural grasslands. Road verges offer potential alternative habitats for meadow species, but they may not be suitable for all meadow species due to different soil properties, frequent disturbances, pollution or suboptimal management. Are the communities of vascular plants and bryophytes similar or dissimilar to those in mown or grazed meadows? What kind of species are associated with road verges, mown meadows or grazed meadows? How do the habitat types differ in their soil conditions and disturbance intensity?
Location
The study was conducted on 36 sites in Central Finland.
Methods
We compared the vascular plant and bryophyte flora and the habitat characteristics of road verges, mown meadows and grazed meadows.
Results
The community composition of both vascular plants and bryophytes differed among the habitat types. Many species occurred in all three habitat types, but several meadow specialists were absent or less frequent in the road verges. In contrast, road verges hosted more forest species and ruderal species, especially bryophytes. Road verges differed from meadows in their soil conditions.
Conclusions
We conclude that although road verges may host some species typical to meadows, their value as alternative habitats could be increased by improved soil preparation and vegetation management. Meanwhile, the continued decline of quality habitats for meadow species underscores the need to maintain, increase and improve meadow management.
Keywords: bryophytes; vascular plants; meadow plants; habitat; ecosystems (ecology); meadows; grasslands; road verges; rural environment; traditional biotope
Free keywords: bryophyte; disturbance; grazing; meadow; mowing; novel ecosystem; semi-natural grassland; traditional rural biotope; vascular plant
Contributing organizations
Ministry reporting: Yes
VIRTA submission year: 2021
JUFO rating: 1
