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Abandoned Railways Support Greater Functional and Phylogenetic Plant Diversity Than Adjacent Grassy Meadows in Agricultural Landscape

cris.virtual.author-orcid0000-0002-1370-7625
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cris.virtualsource.author-orcid86de7053-c0cc-4a23-960c-fd3908659acc
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cris.virtualsource.author-orcid#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#
dc.abstract.enLinear structures such as woodlots and hedgerows offer many benefits to ecosystems, including enhancing biodiversity, increasing the abundance of plants and animals, and providing a wide range of ecosystem services. However, agriculture expansion has deteriorated and destroyed these elements in the farmland landscape. Human-made structures like road verges, electricity pylons, or railways may enhance biodiversity in intensive farmland, replacing natural woody elements. We aimed to explore whether abandoned railway lines in agriculture-dominated landscapes can serve as alternative habitats for plant species. We evaluated the taxonomical, functional, and phylogenetic diversity, along with the community composition of plants, in 25 sites along abandoned railway lines and 25 reference sites in adjacent semi-natural grasslands. We found no significant difference in species richness and Shannon diversity between grasslands and abandoned railway vegetation, but we observed distinct differences in functional and phylogenetic diversity. Moreover, the vegetation along abandoned railways is not a variant of surrounding semi-natural grasslands but comprises a novel vegetation type composed of species associated mainly with crops, ruderal, and forest habitats. Abandoned railway lines are characterized by specific abiotic conditions providing a set of opportunities for shaping distinct plant communities in an intensively managed agricultural landscape, fulfilling the concept of a novel ecosystem. Abandoned railways offer a unique opportunity for conservation and can serve as valuable dispersal corridors and habitats for plants, increasing functional and phylogenetic diversity in agricultural landscapes. Combining ecological restoration techniques and sustainable land management practices can help support plant diversity on abandoned railways.
dc.affiliationWydział Medycyny Weterynaryjnej i Nauk o Zwierzętach
dc.affiliation.instituteKatedra Zoologii
dc.contributor.authorDylewski, Łukasz
dc.contributor.authorMaćkowiak, Łukasz
dc.contributor.authorDyderski, Marcin K.
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-03T10:18:44Z
dc.date.available2025-04-03T10:18:44Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstract<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title><jats:p>Linear structures such as woodlots and hedgerows offer many benefits to ecosystems, including enhancing biodiversity, increasing the abundance of plants and animals, and providing a wide range of ecosystem services. However, agriculture expansion has deteriorated and destroyed these elements in the farmland landscape. Human‐made structures like road verges, electricity pylons, or railways may enhance biodiversity in intensive farmland, replacing natural woody elements. We aimed to explore whether abandoned railway lines in agriculture‐dominated landscapes can serve as alternative habitats for plant species. We evaluated the taxonomical, functional, and phylogenetic diversity, along with the community composition of plants, in 25 sites along abandoned railway lines and 25 reference sites in adjacent semi‐natural grasslands. We found no significant difference in species richness and Shannon diversity between grasslands and abandoned railway vegetation, but we observed distinct differences in functional and phylogenetic diversity. Moreover, the vegetation along abandoned railways is not a variant of surrounding semi‐natural grasslands but comprises a novel vegetation type composed of species associated mainly with crops, ruderal, and forest habitats. Abandoned railway lines are characterized by specific abiotic conditions providing a set of opportunities for shaping distinct plant communities in an intensively managed agricultural landscape, fulfilling the concept of a novel ecosystem. Abandoned railways offer a unique opportunity for conservation and can serve as valuable dispersal corridors and habitats for plants, increasing functional and phylogenetic diversity in agricultural landscapes. Combining ecological restoration techniques and sustainable land management practices can help support plant diversity on abandoned railways.</jats:p>
dc.description.bibliographyil., bibliogr.
dc.description.financepublication_nocost
dc.description.financecost0,00
dc.description.if3,6
dc.description.number2
dc.description.points200
dc.description.volume36
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/ldr.5383
dc.identifier.eissn1099-145X
dc.identifier.issn1085-3278
dc.identifier.urihttps://sciencerep.up.poznan.pl/handle/item/2678
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationbiological sciences
dc.relation.ispartofLand Degradation and Development
dc.relation.pages614-629
dc.rightsClosedAccess
dc.sciencecloudsend
dc.subject.enalpha diversity
dc.subject.enbeta diversity
dc.subject.enland-use change
dc.subject.ennovel ecosystems
dc.subject.ensuccession
dc.subject.envegetation
dc.titleAbandoned Railways Support Greater Functional and Phylogenetic Plant Diversity Than Adjacent Grassy Meadows in Agricultural Landscape
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.issue2
oaire.citation.volume36