Do biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments inform stakeholders how to simultaneously conserve biodiversity and increase ecosystem service provisioning in grasslands?

Two key stakeholders primarily important for nature conservation are farmers (and their lobby groups) and conservationists. Both have substantial inputs into environmental strategies and policies calling for biodiversity conservation aimed to directly increase ecosystem services. The scientific literature concurs that as biological diversity increases so do ecosystem functions and services in grasslands. While the evidence for this is strong, the majority comes from controlled small-scale biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiments. Thus, it is unclear whether the scientific basis for implementing BEF relationships into practice is sufficiently evidenced. Here we explore the applicability of findings from BEF experiments to the conservation and management of temperate grassland, a widespread and potentially highly biodiverse habitat. While we acknowledge that BEF research can reveal insights into fundamental mechanisms, the saturation of biodiversity effects at low levels and unrealistic (management) treatments widely impede the applicability of these experimental results to permanent grasslands. Additionally, the integration of BEF research results into practice is considerably hampered by experimental studies not answering stakeholders' crucial questions, e.g. is there evidence of biodiversity conservation potentials? Thus, stakeholders do not have a strong evidence base for taking decisions for the addressed management goals, except intensive production in (species-poor) temporary grasslands. If BEF work is to inform stakeholders future research needs to overcome unrealistic management, missing stakeholder involvement and ineffective communication. A new generation of applied BEF experiments employing applied, multi-actor approaches is needed to facilitate the relevance of BEF research for nature conservation, agriculture and land management

Does liming grasslands increase biomass productivity without causing detrimental impacts on net greenhouse gas emissions?

Acknowledgements This work contributes to the SUPER-G project (funded under EU Horizon 2020 programme). We appreciate the support from the Estonian Research Council (PRG352) and the European Regional Development Fund (Centre of Excellence EcolChange, Estonia).We are grateful to Sarah Perryman for proving us with pictures from the Park Grass Experiment.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Stakeholders' perspectives on the operationalisation of the ecosystem service concept : Results from 27 case studies

The ecosystem service (ES) concept is becoming mainstream in policy and planning, but operational influence on practice is seldom reported. Here, we report the practitioners' perspectives on the practical implementation of the ES concept in 27 case studies. A standardised anonymous survey (n = 246), was used, focusing on the science-practice interaction process, perceived impact and expected use of the case study assessments. Operationalisation of the concept was shown to achieve a gradual change in practices: 13% of the case studies reported a change in action (e.g. management or policy change), and a further 40% anticipated that a change would result from the work. To a large extent the impact was attributed to a well conducted science-practice interaction process (>70%). The main reported advantages of the concept included: increased concept awareness and communication; enhanced participation and collaboration; production of comprehensive science-based knowledge; and production of spatially referenced knowledge for input to planning (91% indicated they had acquired new knowledge). The limitations were mostly case-specific and centred on methodology, data, and challenges with result implementation. The survey highlighted the crucial role of communication, participation and collaboration across different stakeholders, to implement the ES concept and enhance the democratisation of nature and landscape planning. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Modelling of carbon cycle in grassland ecosystems of diverse water availability using Biome-BGCMuSo

Grassland ecosystems have an important role in agriculture, and at the same time, are highlysensitive to changes in land use and climate change. Simulation of the biogeochemical cycles ofmanaged grasslands may help in identifying and quantifying the main processes contributing tochanges in their productivity. In our work we used the latest version of Biome-BGCMuSo model,the modified version of the widely used biogeochemical Biome-BGC model, with structuralimprovements to simulate herbaceous ecosystem carbon and water cycles more faithfully.Our sampling areas were in diverse grasslands in the Kiskunság, Hungary. Different soil textureand changing water table level, consequently highly different water conditions are characteristicin these ecosystems, influencing the development and productivity of vegetation, and also thepotential for animal husbandry. Hence, for the meadows and the marshland ecosystems weincluded mowing management in the simulations. In order to compare the ecosystems and studytheir functions we simulated ecosystem variables, such as ecosystem respiration, standing andharvested aboveground biomass etc.We found that ecosystems with higher water availability are more sensitive to changes in waterconditions, and their productivity is more variable between years. By calibration processes usingleaf area and aboveground biomass we aim to further specify our findings.Biome-BGCMuSo is available as a standalone model, but also through virtual laboratoryenvironment and Biome-BGC Projects database (http://ecos.okologia.mta.hu/bbgcdb)developed within the BioVeL project (http://www.biovel.eu). Scientific workflow management,web service and desktop grid technology can support model optimization in the so-called"calibrated runs" within MACSUR

The grassland model intercomparison of the MACSUR (Modelling European Agriculture with Climate Change for Food Security) European knowledge hub

peer reviewe

The response of soil CO2 efflux to water limitation is not merely a climatic issue: The role of substrate availability

Water availability, together with temperature, represents the most limiting abiotic factor regulating soil CO2 efflux (SR). Besides the direct effect of water limitation, drought also influences plant activity, determining changes in the quality and quantity of root exudates, thus indirectly affecting soil microbial activity. To determine how the seasonal changes of plant activity and soil microbial metabolism and structure affect SR response to drought, we investigated the correlation between leaf gas exchange, soil carbon pools and soil respiration sources and the role of soil carbon pools on microbial populations and soil respiration, in a summer deciduous Mediterranean (SDS) and a winter deciduous temperate (WDS) shrublands, experiencing a dry summer period. In both sites, drought reduced photosynthesis, but affected SR differently: in SDS, SR decreased, although microbial heterotrophic respiration (SRh) remained unchanged; in WDS, SR did not vary but SRh was reduced. While in SDS the microbial community was able to respire more complex substrates, in WDS it was strongly dependent on easily decomposable molecules, thus on plant activity. Therefore, the response of soil CO2 efflux to water limitation is not exclusively influenced by climate as it is modulated by the degree of adaptation of the microbial community to drought

Are we talking about the same thing? Stakeholder perspectives on grassland management intensity

Grassland management crucially influences the delivery of ecosystem services from permanent grasslands. Variability in management practices is often described along a gradient from ‘low intensity’ to ‘high intensity’. These terms are likely to carry different meanings across European regions that differ inenvironmental and socio-economic conditions as well as between different groups of stakeholders. We conducted an online survey among grassland stakeholders asking them to characterise what they consider as ‘low’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘high’-intensity management in terms of cutting frequency, grazing intensity, and nitrogen fertilization. The answers of the 125 respondents revealed high variability in the thresholds between management intensity levels. Professional background (‘agriculture’ vs ‘ecology/ conservation’) explained only a small percentage of the variability. The biogeographical region on which the respondents’ expertise was based also influenced the evaluation of management practices. Our survey exposed the hidden problem of communicating about grassland management across regions and professional backgrounds, and identifies a need for a common terminology when making generalrecommendations for sustainable grassland management

Sensitivity of a grassland model ensemble to climate change factors: the MACSUR approach

In grassland modelling, understanding feedbacks between grassland ecosystems and the atmosphere in the context of regional scale climatic changes is essential for the accurate quantification of ecosystem water and carbon (C) fluxes. Different grassland models respond differently to environmental conditions and climatic circumstances. To test the sensitivity of different models to changes in input variables, ensemble modelling approaches are used because they generate an expanded envelope of possible systemic outputs. Here, an ensemble modelling approach was applied to explore water and C fluxes from grasslands in Europe. Seven grassland models were run at nine long-term grassland sites representing a broad gradient of geographic and climatic conditions. It was assessed the sensitivity to climate change factors including precipitation (P), temperature (T) and atmospheric CO2 concentration [CO2]. Baseline weather series (including [CO2]=380 ppm) were modified by changing T and P by -25%, -10%, -5%, +5%, +10%, +25% of the observed standard deviation and [CO2] by +5%, +10%, +15%, +25%, +50%, +100%. The obtained multi-model responses for each driver showed different levels of sensitivity. Soil temperature and gross primary production (GPP) displayed strong sensitivity to air temperature and precipitation. Based on the multi-model median of model responses, altered scenarios of precipitation had an important effect on modelled evapotranspiration from grassland swards. In general, yield biomass and GPP increased with elevated levels of [CO2]. Rising T and [CO2] had a fundamental effect on the C cycling of terrestrial ecosystems. This study demonstrates the use of ensemble modelling to address critical issues of uncertainty associated with individual model predictions, and provides increased understanding of water and C fluxes in grasslands under climate change

Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of grassland models in Europe and Israel

Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of grassland models in Europe and Israel. MACSUR Conference 201