caa a22 4500 605527083 CHVBK 20210128100806.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150301xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10531-014-0835-y doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10531-014-0835-y Plant species occurrence in a fragmented grassland landscape: the importance of species traits [Elektronische Daten] [Marianne Evju, Stefan Blumentrath, Olav Skarpaas, Odd Stabbetorp, Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson] Anthropogenic habitat modification and fragmentation is considered one of the most serious threats to biodiversity. To develop effective conservation strategies towards such pressures we need to improve our understanding of how species richness and community composition are shaped by species' responses to landscape patterns. In this study we tested relationships between patch size and isolation, species richness and species traits in a fragmented landscape of calcareous grasslands—a diversity hotspot in Southern Norway. We recorded a total of 381 vascular plant species, of which 50 are considered habitat specialists, distributed among 86 habitat patches (50-9,475m2) in 22 of 50 randomly sampled 500×500m-plots. We found that large habitat patches held more species of both generalists and specialists than small habitat patches and that well-connected patches held more specialist species than isolated patches. About 1/3 of the habitat specialists in this study system showed vulnerability to isolation, i.e. lower probability of occurrence in isolated patches. Traits related both to persistence (short lifespan) and colonization ability (low seed production per plant) were predictors of vulnerability to isolation. Our results indicate that both colonization and extinction processes affect species composition and richness, and that the rescue-effect—mitigation of local, area-dependent extinctions through colonization—is reduced in isolated patches. These findings suggest that conservation strategies should place greater emphasis on the spatial configuration of the habitat network, and on the preservation of colonization processes to ensure regional persistence of species. The Author(s), 2014 Connectivity conservation nationallicence Fragmentation nationallicence Functional traits nationallicence Life-history nationallicence Plant diversity nationallicence Species-area effect nationallicence Evju Marianne Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut Blumentrath Stefan Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut Skarpaas Olav Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut Stabbetorp Odd Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut Sverdrup-Thygeson Anne Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/3(2015-03-01), 547-561 0960-3115 24:3<547 2015 24 10531 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0835-y 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/s10531-014-0835-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Evju Marianne Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Blumentrath Stefan Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Skarpaas Olav Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Stabbetorp Odd Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Sverdrup-Thygeson Anne Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/3(2015-03-01), 547-561 0960-3115 24:3<547 2015 24 10531