caa a22 4500 60552694X CHVBK 20210128100806.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20151101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10531-015-0996-3 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10531-015-0996-3 Long-term response of plant communities to herbivore exclusion at high elevation grasslands [Elektronische Daten] [Iker Pardo, Daniel Doak, Ricardo García-González, Daniel Gómez, María García] Understanding the effects of herbivores on plant communities is needed for anticipating how variation in grazing regimes will impact natural and semi-natural ecosystems. Prominent ecological hypotheses predict that drastic reductions of herbivory, as have occurred in many European mountains, will trigger fast diversity loss and structural changes in grasslands, because grazing tolerant species are expected to be rapidly replaced by taller and more competitive species. The aims of this study were to test generalizations of herbivory effects (mostly from lowlands) in high elevation grasslands over ecological relevant times scales, and to unravel the contribution of climatic conditions to observed changes. Species richness, canopy height, plant community structure, and transition probabilities among ecological groups were monitored throughout 19years in herbivore exclusions and control plots in the Central Pyrenees. We used ordination analyses to track the long-term community response to herbivore exclusion, and generalized additive models to assess the non-linear effects of herbivore exclusion and climatic conditions on measured variables. Contrary to expectations, herbivore exclusion did not significantly affect species richness, and although canopy height increased, it was not drastic enough to suppress shade intolerant species. The strongest shifts in plant community structure and transition probabilities between ecological groups occurred during a sequence of warm and dry growing seasons, whereas in control plots, these changes were smaller, and largely reversed after cooler and wetter climatic conditions returned. Our results suggest that long-term effects of grazing cessation in high elevation grasslands can be weaker and slower than predicted. However, these effects can act synergistically with dry and warm events. Therefore, the maintenance of past grazing activities can be key in the face of ongoing climatic warming. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2015 Alpine nationallicence Community monitoring nationallicence Generalized Grazing Model nationallicence Grassland management nationallicence Land abandonment nationallicence Land-use change nationallicence Pardo Iker Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado, 80309, Boulder, USA aut Doak Daniel Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado, 80309, Boulder, USA aut García-González Ricardo Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Jaca-Zaragoza, Spain aut Gómez Daniel Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Jaca-Zaragoza, Spain aut García María Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Jaca-Zaragoza, Spain aut Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/12(2015-11-01), 3033-3047 0960-3115 24:12<3033 2015 24 10531 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0996-3 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0996-3 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Pardo Iker Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado, 80309, Boulder, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Doak Daniel Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado, 80309, Boulder, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- García-González Ricardo Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Jaca-Zaragoza, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gómez Daniel Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Jaca-Zaragoza, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- García María Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Jaca-Zaragoza, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/12(2015-11-01), 3033-3047 0960-3115 24:12<3033 2015 24 10531