DOI: 10.5061/dryad.dr554m2
title: Data from: Long-term impacts of changed grazing regimes on the vegetation of heterogeneous upland grasslands

description: Marginal agricultural land, which in the UK refers particularly to upland
 grazings, will see changes in management driven by markets, subsidies,
 grants and environmental change with implications for biodiversity. Using
 a large-scale, long-term grazing experiment in the UK uplands we assessed
 the impact of intensification (tripling sheep numbers), abandonment
 (removal of sheep) and grazer diversification (partial replacement of
 sheep by cattle) on vegetation composition in a heterogenous area of
 grassland. Species benefiting from increased grazing included Anthoxanthum
 odoratum, Nardus stricta, and Trichophorum cespitosum. Species that
 benefitted from the removal of grazing included Narthecium ossifragum,
 Pteridium aquilinum, and Vaccinium myrtillus. Responses differed between
 vegetation communities; the more productive acid grassland communities
 showed little change when grazing was removed, whilst the less productive
 mire communities contained species, capable of increasing after grazing
 removal. Increased grazing and, to a lesser extent, the introduction of
 cattle increased species diversity. Synthesis and applications: Vegetation
 change in relatively infertile grasslands is slow and features shuffling
 dominance amongst species in the initial vegetation. Initial structural
 changes affect other trophic levels in this experiment; the slow change in
 composition will affect the system over longer timescales. Management
 decisions in the uplands encompass complex trade-offs between production,
 biodiversity and a range of ecosystem services. Predicting the
 consequences of decisions is difficult given the slow dynamics of
 unproductive habitats.
description: Pakeman_Data
 Species hits
 from point quadrat. Also includes height of first hit.   Data from 2020 have been
 added to the dataset analysed in the 2019 paper.   2020 data is not
 complete due to the difficulties of sampling under Covid restrictions. The
 sampling effort per plot was the same, but points within plots were
 randomly sampled.   2023 data has been added to
 maintain the data in an up to date state.
description: # Data from: Long-term impacts of changed grazing regimes on the
 vegetation of heterogeneous upland grasslands
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dr554m2](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dr554m2) ## Description of the data and file structure Methods 1\. The study was undertaken on the Glen Finglas estate (56°16’N, 4°24’W), Southern Highlands of Scotland, UK. The experimental site was dominated by a patchwork of upland unimproved plant communities. 2\. The experiment was formed of six blocks. Each block contained four plots of 3.3 ha. Plots were fenced in the winter of 2002–2003 and one of four grazing treatments allocated randomly to the plots in each block in spring 2003. The treatments were: (a) Continued—grazing at the same low intensity to previous management at three ewes per plot (0.9 ewe per hectare) to act as the control for the experiment, (b) High—a tripling of sheep numbers to 2.7 ewe per hectare, similar to levels seen on farms focussing on profitability, (c) Mixed—a partial substitution of sheep by cattle (0.6 sheep ha?1 and two cows each with a single, suckling calf grazed for four 4 weeks in autumn) keeping the overall offtake the same as Continued to assess the effectiveness of cattle at increasing heterogeneity and diversity, and (d) None–no livestock present to represent agricultural abandonment. 3\. Twenty?five fixed points were established per plot on the intersections of a square grid at 40 m intervals. At each fixed point, a vertical pin?frame of five pins, orientated consistently (downhill) from the fixed point, was used to measure the cover of individual plant species and litter and the height of first contact (total 125 pins per plot). 4\. Sampling was carried out every three years from 2002 (before the fences were erected) to 2017 in late July/early August, prior to cattle being introduced to the plots. 5\. The dataset used in the analysis in the paper has been updated with data collected in 2020. However, due to Covid restrictions only c. 75 % of points were visited to collect data. Coverage of points sampled was even across plots, and the ones visited were a random subset of all points in a plot. File description The data are presented in a single sheet of an excel file Column A – Year of sampling Column B – Block (1 to 6) Column C – Plot (1 to 24) Column D – Point (1 to 600) Column E – Trt (treatment codes used in some other papers I = High, II = Continued, III = mixed, IV = None) Column F – Treat (treatment codes used in the paper, High, Continued, Mixed, None) Column G – Height (mean height of first pin contact at each Point, cm) Column H – NVC (community numbers from the British National Vegetation Classification, see below) Column I to GD – species name codes, for list see below Column GE – Total hits across the five pins per Point. National vegetation classification codes M15 Scirpus cespitosus (now Trichophorum cespitosum)–Erica tetralix wet heath M6 Carex echinata–Sphagnum recurvum/auriculatum mire M23 Juncus effusus/acutiflorus?Galium palustre mire M25 Molinia caerulea–Potentilla erecta mire U4 Festuca ovina–Agrostis capillaris–Galium saxatile grassland U5 N. stricta–G. saxatile grassland U20 Pteridium aquilinum–G. saxatile (bracken). Species name key Ac Agrostis canina An Anemone nemorosa Ao Anthoxanthum odoratum Ap Achillea ptarmica Ar Ajuga reptans As Agrostis stolonifera At Agrostis capillaris Aup Aulacomnium palustre Bc Breutelia chrysocoma Bg Bare ground Brr Brachythecium rivulare Brt Brachythecium rutabulum Bs Blechnum spicant Cb Carex binervis Cc Calliergon cuspidatum Cd Carex demissa Cec Carex echinata Cf Cerastium fontanum Cfl Carex flacca Ch Carex hostiana Ci Campylopus interflexus Cm Conopodium majus Cn Carex nigra Cp Cirsium palustre Cpa Carex panicea Cpi Carex pilulifera Cpr Cardamine pratensis Cps Carex pallescens Cpu Carex pulicaris Crc Crepis capillaris Crp Crepis paludosa Cs Campylium stellatum Cv Calluna vulgaris Cvi Carex viridula Cx Carex spp. Cyc Cynosurus cristatus D Dung Dc Deschampsia cespitosa Dd Danthonia decumbens Df Deschampsia flexuosa Dm Dactylorhiza (maculata) Dr Drosera rotundifolia Ds Dicranum scoparium Du Drepanocladus uncinatus Ea Eriophorum angustifolium Ec Erica cinerea En Empetrum nigrum Ep Epilobium palustre Es Euphrasia sp Et Erica tetralix Eup Eurynchium praelongum Ev Eriophrum vaginatum Fa Fissidens adianthoides Fi Filipendria ulmaria Fo Festuca ovina Fr Festuca rubra Fv Festuca vivipara Gp Galium palustre Gs Galium saxatile Hep Helictotrichon pratense Hj Hypnum cupressiforme Hl Holcus lanatus Hm Holcus mollis Hp Hieracium pilosella Hs Hylocomium splendens Hsp Hieracium sp. Hyp Hypericum pulchrum Ja Juncus articulatus/Juncus acutiflorus Jb Juncus bulbosus Jc Juncus conglomeratus Je Juncus effusus Js Juncus squarrosus L Liverwort Lc Luzula campestris Li Lichen Lm Luzula multiflora Lp Lathyrus pratensis Lsp Luzula sp. Lt Litter Lyn Lysimachia nemorum M Mud Mc Molinia caerulea Mes Melampyrum sylvaticum / M. pratense? Mg Myrica gale Mn Mnium sp (Plagiomnium sp) Ms Unidentified moss No Narthecium ossifragum Ns Nardus stricta Ol Oreopteris limbosperma Oxa Oxalis acetosella P Poa sp. Pa Pteridium aquilinum Pas Parmelia saxatilis Pc Polytrichum communis Pd Plagithecium denticulatum Pe Potentilla erecta Pel Plagiomnium ellipticum Pep Pellia epiphylla Pf Philonotis fontana Piv Pinguicula (vulgaris) Pl Plantago lanceolata Pmn Plagiomnium undulatum Po Polygala (serpyllifolia) Poa Poacea (in general) Pp Poa pratensis Ppa Pedicularis palustris Ps Pleurozium schreberi Psp Pseudoschleropodium purum Psy Pedicularis sylvatica Pt Poa trivialis Pu Plagiothecium undulatum Pur Polytrichum urnigerum Pv Prunella vulgaris Ra Rumex acetosa Rac Ranunculus acris Rf Ranunculus flammula Rk Rock Rl Racomitrium lanuginosum Rlo Rhytidiadelphus loreus Rr Ranunculus repens Rs Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus Rt Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus Sa Stellaria alsine Sp Sphagnum sp. Spr Sagina procumbens Ss Selaginella selaginoides Sup Succisa pratensis Sx Salix sp Sxa Salix aurita Ta Taraxacum spp. Tc Trichophorum cespitosum Tm Thalictrum minus Tp Thymus polytrichus Tr Trifolium repens Tt Thuidium tamariscum Vc Veronica chamaedrys Vm Vaccinium myrtillus Vo Veronica officinalis Vp Viola palustris Vr Viola riviana Vs Veronica serpyllifolia Vsp Viola spp. Vvi Vaccinium vitis-idea W Water Wd Wood Bpb Betula pubescens Cld Climacium dendroides Crs Crepis spp Cvu Cirsium vulgare Eqs Equisetum syluaticum Cov Carex ovalis/leporina Soa Sorbus aucuparia F Fungae/mushroom Herb1 Unidentified herb Ans Angelica sylvestris Los Lolium sp. Rat Rumex acetosella Daf Dactylorhiza fuchsii Voc Vaccinium oxycoccos Gu Galium uliginosum Cfx Cardamine flexuosa Caf Campylopus flexuosus Au Atrichum undulatum Em Epilobium montana Ptc Ptilidium ciliare Dsp Dryopteris sp Oh Oxyrrhynchium hians Sr Scorpidium revolvens Cca Carex canescens La Leontodon autumnalis Pap Parnassia palustris Sax Saxifraga aizoides Hyr Hypochaeris radicata Val Valeriana officinalis Trp Triglochin palustre Cep Ceratodon purpureus Av Avenula pratensis Lzp Luzula pilosa Sum Total hits ## Sharing/Access information This is the only publicly accessible locations of the data