The nutrient-poor grasslands of Western Europe are of major conservation concern because
land use changes threaten their high biodiversity. Studies assessing their characteristics …

Dry grasslands in Europe are mostly of zoo-anthropogenic origin, but nevertheless they are
among the most diverse plant communities of the world at small spatial scales, and they …

Calcareous grasslands have long been recognized as biodiversity hotspots in Europe.
However, in recent decades these ecosystems have seen rapid decline. In Belgium, more …

Dry grasslands are endangered by succession because of changes in management, soil
conditions and abandonment. The successional changes in vegetation composition after 46 …

Habitat restoration is an important complement to protecting habitat for the conservation of
biodiversity. Semi-natural grasslands are target habitats for ecological restoration in …

Vegetation surveys have a long tradition in ecological studies, but several limitations in the
morphological identification of species have been recognized. The objective of this study …

Invasions of woody species into grasslands abandoned by agriculture are a global
phenomenon, but their effects on diversity of other taxa have been rarely investigated across …

Central European calcareous grasslands are considered biodiversity hotspots, but are
severely threatened by the change in land-use and by habitat fragmentation. Coniferous …

Succession following the abandonment of traditional management practices can pose
severe consequences for the conservation of semi-natural dry grassland communities. In the …

Natural steppes in European agricultural landscapes are characterized by high biotic
richness but are subject to fragmentation and associated edge effects. Edge effects on …