Spatio-temporal analysis of sheep and goats grazing in different forage resources of Northern Greece
Grazing animal moving patterns are largely affected by the shepherd himself but also related with the grazing season as well as the kind of livestock species and the available forage resources. In this paper, the spatial distribution of representative flocks of sheep and goats were recorded in different grazing areas of Askos village in Northern Greece in order to study the total time spent for the activities of feeding, moving, ruminating and standing in different forage resources during the day as well as the time they devoted for the activity of feeding during the year. It was found that sheep and goats used to a different extend the grazing areas, depending on season, and vegetation type. More specifically, during the spring period, both animal kinds spent more time (sheep 255 min/day and goats 298 min/day) in rangelands (mainly shrublands and grasslands) than in agricultural land (mainly temporal pastures and fallow land; 108 min/day for sheep and 123 min/day for goats). During summer, goats used more agricultural land (mainly cereal stubble and fallow land) than rangelands (325 min/day and 255 min/day, respectively), while sheep did the opposite (270 min/day and 398 min/day, respectively). Rangelands were mainly used during the winter period, when weather conditions allowed animals to graze (2475 min/day for sheep and 3025 min/day for goats). It seems that animals spent more time searching for feed in rangelands and this was more pronounced during spring for goats and in summer for sheep. Agricultural land and rangelands supplemented each other in providing forage throughout the year, while animal activities were diversified according to animal kind and season.
Phytosociological research of the Erica heathlands and evergreen broadleaved shrublands at the north side of Mount Cholomon
Mediterranean Erica heathlands and evergreen broadleaved shrublands consist considerably degraded communities primarily due to overgrazing and repetitive fires. A phytosociological analysis of these communities was carried out at the north side of Mount Cholomon (Chalkidiki, N. Greece) using the Braun-Blanquet method. The classification of the vegetation units was achieved through Twinspan analysis on 80 relevés and resulted in one community and one association. The evergreen broadleaved shrublands are assigned to the Quercetea (-alia) ilicis, as Arbutus unedo-Erica arborea community, and the Erica manipuliflora heathlands to the Cisto-Micromerietea julianae, as Ericetum verticillatae association. The floristic composition of the research area consist of 176 taxa comprising high number of taxa belonging to the classes Thero-Brachypodietea and Festuco-Βrometea that confirm the intense degradation.
Assessing the conservation status of habitat 6210(*) Seminatural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia) in Italy
One of the main goals of the protection and management of Natura 2000 habitat types is the assessment of their conservation status. While some countries have already tested procedures to assess conservation status, many others, including Italy, still lack standard measures at the national level. The aim of our study was to address this lack of a national standard in Italy for habitat 6210(*) by adapting procedures used in other member states to the Italian context. The dry grasslands of habitat 6210(*), determined by human activities, display very high species richness but are, at the same time, seriously threatened by current climatic trends and land-use changes. Although the conservation of this habitat is a priority, there is no policy regarding the conservation of such grasslands. On the basis of the parameters included in the Habitats Directive, we selected the indicators most suited to the assessment of conservation status. These indicators were inferred from floristic and vegetation data collected in 2010 and 2011. As structure parameters, we selected nongraminoid vs graminoid cover and shrub cover; as floristic and vegetation parameters, we selected the occurrence and abundance of characteristic and abundant species, of species of conservation or biogeographic interest, and of weeds or invasive species. We identified three types of indicators, which represent a tool for conservation strategies aimed at grasslands included in habitat 6210(*).
Impact of wildfires on plant cover and biomass in shrublands of Lagadas County in northern Greece
Large forested areas are destroyed by wildfires in Greece every year. A significant part of these areas is composed of shrublands dominated by kermes oak (Quercus coccifera). The present study was carried out in kermes oak shrublands covered by various shrub densities and located at Lagadas County of the Thessaloniki prefecture. In 2007, an area of an 563 hectares extension was burned. In three cover degrees (10-40% – open, 41-70% – medium and 71-100% – dense) and two burning treatments with three replications plant cover and above ground biomass (herbaceous and woody) were measured at the end of the second growing season since the wildfire. Herbaceous plant cover was highest in the open and woody plant cover was highest in the dense shrubland. Vegetation (herbaceous and woody) recovered very fast and no significant differences were observed two years after the wildfire. Regarding the above ground biomass, herbaceous was increased considerably in burned areas due to the reduction of woody plants. Total biomass however was statistically similar in burned and unburned areas.
Grazing intensity affects soil carbon sequestration in an altitudinal gradient
Grassland management affects soil carbon content and many management practices have been proposed to sequester carbon. One of them livestock grazing has the potential to modify soil carbon content as it affects the soil – plant system, altering the C cycle. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of grazing intensity on soil organic carbon in grasslands along an altitudinal gradient in the Mediterranean region. Three grasslands were selected at three different altitude ranges between (800 – 1000 m, 1000 – 1200 m and 1200 – 1500 m) at Central Greece that were under grazing conditions for a long time with different grazing species. Forage production, utilization rate, species richness and soil parameters were measured at each grassland. Species diversity and forage production increased respectively by 25.8% and 56.5% along altitude gradient while forage utilization rate decreased by 53.5%. The results also showed that soil organic carbon increased as grazing intensity decreased at elevated altitudes. These results revealed that moderate grazing intensity could enhance soil carbon accumulation at higher altitudes, contributing to climate change mitigation.
