Soil legacy of grazing shapes current ecosystem multifunctionality in a temperate grassland

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F25%3A10515691" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/25:10515691 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=9FiO0SRGE8" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=9FiO0SRGE8</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127922" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127922</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Soil legacy of grazing shapes current ecosystem multifunctionality in a temperate grassland

Original language description

Herbivore grazing has been recognized as a critical factor that alters both soil abiotic and biotic properties in grassland ecosystems, leaving significant long-term soil legacies. These soil legacies potentially influence current ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). Yet, the contribution of historical grazing to current levels of EMF remains virtually unknown. Here, we experimented to evaluate the soil legacy effects of grazing with different levels of intensity on current levels of EMF in a temperate grassland that had been free of livestock for ca. 30 years. We found long-lasting effects of grazing on ecosystem multifunctionality, suggesting that any impacts of grazing today can have consequences in the future, even after grazing is excluded from ecosystems. EMF and soil microbial richness peaked under moderate historical grazing, with EMF 91 %, 26 %, and 75 % higher than under extremely heavy, heavy, and light grazing, respectively, while bacterial and fungal richness increased by 3-8 % and 9-20 % respectively. These aligned gains suggest that moderate grazing created intermediate soil disturbance and resource conditions that favoured both microbial diversity and EMF, likely leaving the strongest ecological legacies. Our study reveals novel insights about the existence of long-lasting effects of grazing legacies on EMF, which should inform strategies for restoring overgrazed grasslands and promoting sustainable grazing systems. These findings further highlight the importance of incorporating grazing-history assessments into grassland restoration planning and management.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal of Environmental Management

ISSN

0301-4797

e-ISSN

1095-8630

Volume of the periodical

395

Issue of the periodical within the volume

December

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

8

Pages from-to

127922

UT code for WoS article

001615658500010

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105020794332