Sward-height patches under intensive and extensive grazing density in an Agrostis capillaris grassland

Patchiness is one of the important features of grazed temperate grasslands, but little is known about the structure of sward height patches under different grazing intensities. The present study examined the effect of continuous intensive and extensive stocking of heifers on the proportions of sward-height patch categories (short ≤ 5cm, moderate 5.5–10 cm, tall ≥ 10.5 cm) and their plant species composition in an Agrostis capillaris grassland. A four-year study was performed on an upland grassland maintained under a long-term grazing experiment in the Jizerske hory Mts (Jizera Mountains), Czech Republic. The contrasting stocking densities form the differences in the proportion of sward-patch categories and generated a similar level of patch heterogeneity, which was mainly affected by the proportion of tall- and short-sward patches. The floristic composition of patches within the same sward height category depended upon stocking density. Moderate and tall patches under a given stocking density had similar botanical composition. Vegetation within short patches differed considerably from that of other patches under extensive grazing whereas under intensive grazing the differences between short, moderate and tall sward-height patches were small. The findings show that grazing intensity is a key driver of the proportion as well as the floristic composition of sward-height patches in grasslands dominated by A. capillaris. These findings have implications for nature conservation, as they support the recommendation for extensive management of upland grasslands.