Land Use History and the Build-Up and Decline of Species Richness in Scandinavian Semi-Natural Grasslands

Scandinavian semi-natural grasslands have an exceptionally high small-scale species richness. In the past, these grasslands covered extensive areas but they have declined drastically during the last century. How species richness of semi-natural grasslands was built up during history, and how species respond to land use change, are discussed. The agricultural expansion from the late Iron Age was associated with increasing grassland extent and spatial predictability, resulting in accumulation of species at small spatial scales. Although few species directly depend on management, the specific composition of these grasslands is a product of haymaking and grazing. Grassland fragmentation initially has small effects on species richness, due to slow extinction of many species. Species loss in grasslands is, however, expected in the coming decades. Restoration efforts may fail due to slow colonization. Effects of landscape configuration may be overlooked, if land use history is not considered, since present-day species richness largely reflects landscape history