Description
Grassland ecosystems are deeply affected by human activities and need appropriate management to optimise trade-offs between ecosystem functions and services. Until now they have mainly been analysed as agro-ecosystems for animal production but this book looks beyond the role of grassland as a feeding ground, and evaluates other important processes such as carbon sequestration in soils, greenhouse gas regulation and biodiversity protection. This authoritative volume expertly highlights the need for an immediate balance between agriculture and ecological management for sustainability in the future.
Chapter
Part I: Productivity and Use of Grassland Resources
1 Primary Production of Grasslands, Herbage Accumulation and Use, and Impacts of Climate Change
2 Nutritional Constraints for Grazing Animals and the Importance of Selective Grazing Behaviour
3 The Influence of Vegetation Characteristics on Foraging Strategy and Ingestive Behaviour
4 Variability, Heterogeneity, Diversity and Productivity in Grazing Systems
5 Importance of Scale in the Management of Grassland Resources
6 Livestock Production Styles and Managing Grassland Ecosystems
Part II: Grasslands as Regulating Biogeochemical Cycles and Environmental Fluxes to Hydrosphere and Atmosphere
7 Carbon Storage and Organic Matter Dynamics in Grassland Soils
8 Managing C and N in Grassland Systems: the Adaptive Cycle Theory Perspective
9 Managing Mineral N Leaching in Grassland Systems
10 Greenhouse Gas Emissions from European Grasslands and Mitigation Options
11 Role and Impacts of Legumes in Grasslands for High Productivity and N Gain from Symbiotic N[sub(2)] Fixation
12 Efficiency of Phosphorus Cycling in Different Grassland Systems
Part III: Grasslands as Regulating Biodiversity Dynamics
13 Predicting Biodiversity Dynamics of Grasslands under Global Change: the Role of Long-term Manipulations of Climate
14 Interactions Between Grassland Management and Species Diversity
15 Assessing the Functional Role of Plant Diversity in Grasslands: a Trait-based Approach
16 Exploiting Genotypic and Phenotypic Plant Diversity in Grasslands
17 Soil Microbial Diversity in Grasslands and its Importance for Grassland Functioning and Services
18 Soil Fauna Diversity and Ecosystem Functions in Grasslands
Part IV: Grasslands as Components of Sustainable Farming Systems
19 The Role of Grasslands in Intensive Animal Production in North-west Europe: Conditions for a More Sustainable Farming System
20 Management of Grazing Systems in New Zealand and Environmental Impacts
21 Rangeland Management for Sustainable Conservation of Natural Resources
22 Opportunities and Challenges for Integrating North-American Crop and Livestock Systems
23 Integration of Grasslands within Crop Systems in South America
Part V: Grasslands as Components of Landscape Ecology and Agricultural Systems at the Regional Level
24 Temperate Grasslands in Catchment Systems: the Role of Scale, Connectivity and Thresholds in the Provision and Regulation of Water Quality and Quantity
25 Interactions of Grasslands with Forest at the Landscape Level: Topical Issues and Challenges Attached to Land Management in Agro–Silvo–Pastoral Landscapes
26 The Role of Grassland Areas within Arable Cropping Systems for the Conservation of Biodiversity at the Regional Level
27 Interactions between Cereal Cropping Systems and Pastoral Areas as the Basis for Sustainable Agriculture Development in Mediterranean Countries
28 A Way for Developing an Integrated System at the Landscape Level in Tropical Areas
Grassland Productivity and Ecosystem Services
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