Functional differentiation of central Apennine grasslands under mowing and grazing disturbance regimes

This research dealt to two grasslands potentially developing the same vegetation type because sited in the same environmental contest (bioclimate, substratum, soil, slope, altitude) but under diverse management regimes (grazing and mowing) for many decades. The evidenced differentiation between the two pastoral vegetations can be attributed to disturbance type and the statistical functional analysis performed through seven plant traits (prostrate form, early flowering, storage organs, clonal ability, basal meristems, chemical defences and hairs), revealed the distinguishing patterns. Discriminant analysis pointed out typical biological attributes for each disturbance conditions, while from correlation analysis emerged different possible traits combinations which do not follow the previous traits separation. Such outcomes are explainable because both grazing and mowing provoke aboveground phytomass removal, although grazing is a selective pressure, while mowing gives to all the species the same development chances. It is reasonable to conclude that convergent strategies within the two systems are possible and frequent.