Effects of long-term removal of sheep-grazing in a series of British upland plant communities: Insights from plant species composition and traits

Environmental and management pressures are considered a threat for preserving plant communities worldwide. Identification of long-term impacts changing practices on community composition must, therefore, be major priority to ensure improvement in conservation value. Land abandonment/wilding is one topical area where there little available information impacts. To address this, here, we describe species compositional change over relatively long-time scales range four British upland (high-level grasslands, intermediate blanket bogs high-level bogs) its relationships with series life-history trait variables. Our aims were determine whether the business-as-usual sheep grazing practice was maintaining these communities, if removed as part strategies, would benefit. We used experimental grazing-exclosure studies at twelve sites (>40 years) Moor House National Nature Reserve northern England. Each site consisted paired plots; i.e. sheep-grazed versus ungrazed. results showed that dominant most occurring within sub-dominant species. Similarly, different temporal responses richness detected between experiments (richness reduced three experiments, only increased). In any case, vegetation trajectories moving similar direction grazed ungrazed plots sites. Interestingly, bog clear convergence both plots, although, between-site differences related combination elevation past burning testament. Finally, bryophytes (especially liverworts) lichens groups contributed reductions richness. Moreover, implementation no-stock strategy under land approach will not bring about much short-term studied here.