Habitat specificity analyses reveal the importance of grazing refugia for plant diversity conservation in a warm-temperate grassy ecosystem

Abstract

The effects of pastoralism on grassy vegetation are predicted to vary across spatial scales. However, local-scale effects have generally been better considered than large-scale effects that may be pertinent for plant diversity conservation. We examined variation in plant diversity in an agricultural region by comparing patterns observed at large and local scales for different land uses. We tested whether habitat specificity (which relates to how specific different species are to particular land uses) can indicate the importance of land uses to plant diversity conservation.