Individual plant species responses to phosphorus and livestock grazing

Abstract

Livestock grazing and fertilisation are primary management activities that determine variation in plant species composition within grazed temperate grassy ecosystems of Australia. The present paper provides an extensive catalogue of the responses of individual species to grazing and fertilisation that can be used to guide management and restoration in differing situations. A hierarchical model that links plant species identities, simple plant traits and two continuous predictive variables (livestock density and available phosphorus) was used to estimate probability of occurrence of plant species across grazing and phosphorus gradients. Certain species and groups of species, particularly native perennial geophytes, ferns and shrubs, were especially sensitive to increases in each of these management gradients, whereas a small group of exotic plants were most tolerant. In the moderately intensive livestock production landscapes sampled, most native plant species preferred ungrazed areas with low available phosphorus. Many non-native plant species also tolerated or preferred such habitats. Less than 1% of all observed species are predicted to occur at high levels of available phosphorus (75 mg kg–1) and heavy stocking (9 dry sheep equivalents ha–1). There is, however, a suite of native species that persist at moderate livestock densities, but only if soils are not phosphorus-enriched. These data can be used to guide options for restoration including ranking of potential sites or selection of species for reintroduction. In most cases, livestock grazing intensity is thought to be the primary factor influencing plant species composition in grazed woodlands. These data, however, highlight the great importance of fertilisation history in limiting ground-layer plant diversity and determining options for management.