Abstract
The aggregated effect of cattle and sheep grazing on Puccinellion maritimae and other salt-marsh vegetation has been studied together with changes in species composition, the percentage cover of each species, total cover and the percentage of bare ground, six years after grazing had been prevented by construction of experimental exclosures. The results of these experiments are discussed in relation to the natural development of the vegetation that occurred in a permanent plot in the ungrazed part of the salt marsh. Six years without grazing caused a marked increase in total cover and a dramatic reduction in the amount of bare ground. The species composition of the Puccinellia maritima community did not change during these six years, but all species increased in cover. Whereas Artemisia maritima migrated into the Festuca rubra community and only two species Festuca and Halimione portulacoides, increased in cover, all other species showed reduced cover and Salicornia europaea disappeared from the plot after six years without grazing. During the same period of time, three species, Salicornia europaea, Suaeda maritima, and Glaux maritima, disappeared from the plot in the ungrazed marsh as a result of natural development. During thirty-five years the vegetation originally dominated by Puccinellia maritima and Salicornia europaea has changed into a community dominated by Halimione portulacoides, whereas the grazed salt marsh is still dominated by Puccinellia maritima and Salicornia europaea.
These results are discussed in relation to the literature on the effect of cattle and sheep grazing on salt-marsh vegetation.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Adriani, M. J. A., 1945. Sur la phytosociologie, la synécologie et la bilan d'eau de Halophytes de la région Néerlandaise meridionale ainsi que de la Mediterranée française. Thesis Groningen. 217 pp.
Bakker, J. P., 1978. Changes in a salt marsh vegetation as a result of grazing and mowing—a five year study of permanent plots. Vegetatio 38: 77–87.
Bakker, J. P. & Ruyter, J. C., 1981. Effects of five years of grazing on a salt-marsh vegetation. Vegetatio 44: 81–100.
Beeftink, W. G., 1959. Some notes on Skallingens salt marsh vegetation and its habitat. Acta Bot. Neerl. 8: 449–472.
Beeftink, W. G., 1966. Vegetation and habitat of the salt marshes and beach plains in the south-western part of the Netherlands. Wentia 15: 83–108.
Beeftink, W. G., 1977. The coastal salt marshes of western and northern Europe: an ecological and phytosociologial approach. In: V. J.Chapman (ed.), Ecosystems of the World. 1. Wet coastal ecosystems. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam. 428 pp.
Beeftink, W. G., Daane, M. C., Munck, W.de & Nieuwenhuize, J., 1978. Aspects of population dynamics in Halimione portulacoides communities. Vegetatio 36: 31–43.
Boorman, L. A., 1967. Biological flora of the British Isles. Limonium vulgare Mill. and L. humile Mill. J. Ecol. 55: 221–232.
Boorman, L. A., 1971. Studies in salt marsh ecology with special reference to the genus Limonium. J. Ecol. 59: 103–20.
Brown, K. R. & Evans, P. S., 1973. Animal treading: a review of the work of the late D. B. Edmond. N. Z. J. Exp. Agric. 1: 217–226.
Chapman, V. J., 1950. Biological flora of the British Isles. Halimione portulacoides (L.) Aell. J. Ecol. 38: 214–222.
Chapman, V. J., 1960. Salt Marshes and Salt Deserts of the World. Leonard Hill, London. 390 pp.
Charles, A. H., 1979. Treading as a factor in sward deterioration. Occasional symposium no 10 British Grassland Society 137–140.
Chater, E. H., 1962. The role of Halimione portulacoides (Sea Purslane) in the development of salt marsh near Rye Harbour. The Hastings and East Sussex Naturalist 9: 147.
Dahlbeck, N., 1945. Strandwiesen am südöstlichen Öresund. Acta Phytogeogr. Suec. 18: 1–168.
Edmond, D. B., 1964. Some effects of sheep treading on the growth of 10 pasture species. N.Z.J. Agric. Res. 7: 1–16.
Frame, J., 1976. A comparison of herbage production under cutting and grazing (including comments on deleterious factors such as treading). Occasional symp. No. 8, British Grassland Society, pp. 39–49.
Gillham, M. E., 1955. Ecology of the Pembrokeshire Island III-The effect of grazing on the vegetation. J. Ecol. 43: 172–206.
Gillner, V., 1960. Vegetations- und Standortsundersuchungen in den Strandwiesen der Schwedischen Westküste. Acta Phytogeogr. Suec. 43: 1–198.
Gillner, V., 1965. Salt marsh vegetation in Southern Sweden. Acta Phytogeogr. Suec. 50: 97–104.
Gray, A. J. & Scott, R., 1977. The ecology of Morecambe Bay VII. The distribution of Puccinellia maritima, Festuca rubra and Agrostis stolonifera in the salt marsh. J. Appl. Ecol. 14: 229–241.
Hafez, E. S. E., 1975. The Behavior of Domestic Animals. Bailliire, Tindall & Casell, London. 667 pp.
Hansen, K., 1951. Preliminary report on the sediments of the Danish Wadden Sea. Medd. Geol. For. 12: 1–26.
Harper, J. L., 1977. Population Biology of Plants. Academic Press, London, 892 pp.
Hintz, R. A., 1955. Die Entwicklung der Schleimündung. Meyniana (Veröff. Geol. Inst. Univ. Kiel) 4: 66–77.
Holmes, W., 1980. Grazing management. In: W.Holmes (ed.), Grass, its Production and Utilization. Blackwell Scientific Publication, Oxford. 295 pp.
Iversen, J., 1936. Biologische Pflanzentypen als Hilfsmittel in der Vegetationsforschung. Munksgaard, Copenhagen. 224 pp.
Jacobsen, B., 1952. Landskabsudviklingen iSkallingenmarsken. Geogr. Tidskr. 52: 147–159.
Jefferies, R. L., Davy, A. J. & Rudmik, T., 1979. The growth strategies of coastal halophytes. In: R. L.Jefferies & A. J.Davy (eds.), Ecological Processes in Coastal Environments. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, 684 pp.
Jensen, A., 1974. A method of measuring salt marsh inundation. Oikos 25: 252–254.
Jensen, A., 1978. Skallingen. In: A. Jensen & C. H. Ovesen (eds.), Dift og pleje af våde områder i de nordiske lande. Reports from the Botanical Institute. University of Aarhus. 3: 164–172.
Jensen, A., 1985. On the ecophysiology of Halimione portulacoides (L.) Aellen. Vegetatio (in press).
Jensen, A. K., Henriksen & Rasmussen, M. B., 1985. The distribution and interconversion of ammonium and nitrate in Skallingen salt marsh and their exchange with the contiguous coastal water. Vegetatio (in press).
Jensen, A. & Jefferies, R. L., 1985. Fecundity and mortality in populations of Saliconia europaea Agg. at Skallingen, Denmark. Holarctic Ecology (in press).
Ketner, P., 1972. Primary production of salt marsh communities on the Island of Terschelling in The Netherlands. Thesis, Nijmegen. 184 pp.
Kloos, K., 1969. Salzvegetation an der Boddenküste Westmecklenburg (Wismar-Bucht). Natur u. Naturschutz in Mecklenburg VII: 77–114.
Kloos, K. & Succow, M., 1966. Karten zur Pflanzengeographie Mecklenburgs. 3. Reihe: Salz und Strandpflanzen (1. teil). Wiss. Ztschr. d. Ernst Mortiz Arndt-Univ 15: 9–40.
Levy, E. B. & Madden, E. A., 1933. The point method of pasture analyses. N.Z.J. Agric. 46: 267–279.
McCrea, R. H., 1926. The salt marsh vegetation of Little Island, Co. Cork. J. Ecol. 14: 342–346.
Mikkelsen, V. M., 1969. In: A.Nørrevang og T. J.Meyer (eds.), Danmarks Natur, bd 4: Kyst Klit og Marsk. Politikens Forlag, København. 524 pp.
Morris, R. M., 1969. The pattern of grazing in continuously grazed swards. J. Br. Grassl. Soc. 24: 65–70.
Morss, L. W., 1927. The plant colonization of merselands in the estuary of the river Nith. J. Ecol. 15: 310–343.
Nielsen, N., 1933. Om jordfællesskabet på Skallingen. Geogr. Tidsskr. 36: 88–119.
Nielsen, N., 1935. Eine Methode zur exakten Sedimentationsmessung. Kgl. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Biol. Medd XII, København.
Norman, T. J. T. & Green, J. O., 1958. The local influence of cattle dung and urine upon the yield and botanical composition of permanent pasture. J. Br. Grassl. Soc. 13: 39–45.
Ranwell, D. S., 1961. Spartina salt marshes in southern England. I. The effects of sheep grazing at the upper limits of a Spartina marsh in Bridgewater Bay. J. Ecol. 49: 325–340.
Ranwell, D. S., 1968. Coastal marshes in perspective. Regional Studies Group Bull. (Strathclyde) 9: 1–26.
Ranwell, D. S., 1972. Ecology of Salt Marshes and Sand Dunes. Chapman and Hall, London. 258 pp.
Schmeisky, H., 1974. Vegetationskundliche und ökologische Untersuchungen in Strandrassen des Graswarders vor Heiligenhafen/Ostsee. Ph.D. thesis, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen. 103 pp.
Tansley, A. G., 1949. The British Islands and their Vegetation. Cambridge University Press. 930 pp.
Tyler, G., 1969. Studies in the ecology of Baltic sea shore meadows. Opera Bot. 25: 5–101.
Tyler, G., 1971. Distribution and turnover of organic matter and minerals in a shore meadow ecosystem. Studies in the ecology of Baltic sea shore meadows IV. Oikos 22: 265–291.
Vestergaard, P., 1978. Græsningens betydning for vegetationen på Østdanske strandenge. In: A. Jensen & C. H. Ovesen (eds.), Drift og pleje af våde områder i de nordiske lande. Reports from the Botanical Institute, University of Aarhus 3: 144–155.
Warming, E., 1906. Dansk Plantevækst 1 Strandvegetationen, Nordisk forlag København og Kristiania, pp. 325.
Weevers, Th., 1940. De Flora van Goeree en Overflakkee dynamisch beschouwd. Nederl. Kruidk. Arch. 50: 285–354.
White, D. J. B., 1961. Some observations on the vegetation of Blakeney Point, Norfolk, following the disappearance of the rabbits in 1954. J. Ecol. 49: 113–118.
Wind, G. P. & Schothorst, C. J., 1967. The influence of soil properties on suitability for grazing and of grazing on soil properties. Transactions of the 8th International Congress of Soil Science 1964, 2: 571–580.
Wolton, K. M., 1979. Dung and urine as agents of sward change: a Review. Occasional symp. 10 British Grassland Soc., pp. 131–135.
Yapp, R. H., Johns, D. & Jones, O. T., 1917. The salt marshes of the Dovey Estuary. II. J. Ecol. 5: 65–103.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Nomenclature of species follows rostrup-Jørgensen (1973), Den danske flora, 20th ed. Gyldendal, Copenhagen.
This study was partly supported by the Carlsberg Foundation, the Botanical Institute, Aarhus, and the Skallingen-Laboratory, Copenhagen. Thanks are due to Dr N. Kingo Jacobsen for valuable discussions and support and to Dr R. L. Jefferies and Dr E. Kurth for constructive criticism of the manuscript.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jensen, A. The effect of cattle and sheep grazing on salt-marsh vegetation at Skallingen, Denmark. Vegetatio 60, 37–48 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00053910
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00053910