Summary
This five-year field experiment in Atlantic mountain grasslands demonstrates that grazing exclusion simultaneously reduces forage nutritive quality and plant biodiversity. The study reveals that 55–80% of the deterioration in key forage parameters (crude protein and digestibility) is mediated by shifts in plant species composition toward less nutritious species, highlighting the ecological interdependence of plant diversity and livestock feed quality in these systems.
UK applicability
The findings are potentially relevant to UK upland and semi-natural grassland management, particularly in areas where grazing abandonment threatens both botanical diversity and forage quality. However, direct application would require consideration of differences in climate, soil, and native flora between Atlantic and British mountain grasslands.
Key measures
Crude protein content, enzymatic digestibility, neutral detergent fibre, phosphorus content, calcium content, floristic composition (plant species diversity and abundance)
Outcomes reported
The study measured changes in forage nutritive quality (crude protein, digestibility, mineral content, fibre) and floristic composition in Atlantic mountain grasslands following experimental grazing exclusion over five years. It quantified the proportion of forage quality change mediated by concurrent changes in plant species composition.
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