The effect of current and historical landscape structure and species life-history traits on species distribution in dry grassland-like forest openings

Abstract

Questions: In a fragmented landscape, the distribution of plant species is determined not only by local habitat conditions but also by the landscape structure, including its changing nature, and by the life-history traits of species present. Whereas the importance of all these factors has been investigated in a range of previous studies, our understanding of the effects of individual traits on species dependence on landscape structure is still rather limited. The aim of this study was to identify factors responsible for plant species composition in dry grassland-like forest openings and to identify the relationship between life-history traits and species distribution. Location: Křivoklátsko Biosphere Reserve, the Czech Republic. Methods: We examined the effect of current and past landscape structures, habitat continuity and habitat conditions on species composition. We tested the importance of species traits for species response to the landscape structure. Results: In addition to habitat conditions, species composition was determined by landscape structures in the past and at present, and the past landscape structure in each time period separately was equally important to the present landscape structure. Perennial species that are insect- or wind-pollinated, flower over limited periods of time, are relatively tall, are dispersed by animals, are not ruderal, have low nutrient requirements and maintain competitive or partly stress-tolerant strategies were found to be restricted to continuous localities existing at least since 1973 or 1988 and to localities that are currently well interconnected. In contrast, short, self-pollinated, ruderal species prevail in currently less-connected localities. Conclusions: The results indicate that knowledge of the past landscape structure is important for understanding the current species distribution, and that species traits can be used as useful predictors of species responses to the past landscape structure.