Twenty-year effect of sewage-sludge fertilization in a Mediterranean grassland: Impact on species composition, functional groups and interrelation with climate

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F25%3A00641933" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/25:00641933 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/67985939:_____/25:00641933 RIV/60076658:12310/25:43910538

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1433831925000617?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1433831925000617?via%3Dihub</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125906" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125906</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Twenty-year effect of sewage-sludge fertilization in a Mediterranean grassland: Impact on species composition, functional groups and interrelation with climate

Original language description

Mediterranean semi-natural grasslands are biodiversity hotspots threatened by increased frequency of drought events, soil erosion and desertification. Soil amendment with sewage sludge is considered a sustainable practice to increase soil fertility and avoid erosion, though detailed studies on its long-term effects on vegetation dynamics are still missing. Understanding how fertilization with sewage sludge affects Mediterranean semi-natural grasslands is of multifaceted interest, from perspectives of waste management, ecosystem conservation, and vegetation ecology. We analyzed the vegetation dynamics of a grazing-excluded, semi-natural Mediterranean grassland over 20 years in response to a single sludge fertilization event. We studied the persistence of the effects of fertilization, the long-term temporal trajectory of the community, the response of species with different functional traits and from different functional groups, and the influence of fertilization on the interannual vegetation response to temperature and precipitation. Our findings revealed significant alterations in community species composition lasting over two decades following fertilization. However, fertilization effects seemed to start decreasing in the last years. Fertilization favored annuals with higher Specific Leaf Area. Fertilization also influenced the interannual response of the community to autumn temperature, June and summer drought differently depending on the species functional group and traits, herbaceous perennials with higher Leaf Dry Matter Content and lower leaf area decreased with summer drought, while the influence of summer drought in annuals and woody perennials was reduced. Our work underscores the importance of long-term ecological dynamics to understand the temporal magnitude of fertilization impacts on the species composition and functioning of plant communities.

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

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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

Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics

ISSN

1433-8319

e-ISSN

1433-8319

Volume of the periodical

69

Issue of the periodical within the volume

NOV 15

Country of publishing house

DE - GERMANY

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

125906

UT code for WoS article

001626769900001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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