Biodiversity change in the Irish uplands - the effects of grazing management

Simple item page
dc.check.embargoformatBoth hard copy thesis and e-thesisen
dc.check.entireThesisEntire Thesis Restricted
dc.check.opt-outNoen
dc.check.reasonThis thesis is due for publication or the author is actively seeking to publish this materialen
dc.contributor.advisorEmmerson, Mark C.en
dc.contributor.advisorO'Halloran, Johnen
dc.contributor.authorAnderson, Roslyn M.
dc.contributor.funderScience Foundation Irelanden
dc.date.accessioned2013-12-19T10:26:38Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.date.submitted2013
dc.description.abstractAs a prominent form of land use across much of upland Europe, extensive livestock grazing may hold the key to the sustainable management of these landscapes. Recent agricultural policy reform, however, has resulted in a decline in upland sheep numbers, prompting concern for the biodiversity value of these areas. This study quantifies the effects of varying levels of grazing management on plant, ground beetle and breeding bird diversity and assemblage in the uplands and lowlands of hill sheep farms in County Kerry, Ireland. Farms represent a continuum of light to heavy grazing, measured using a series of field indicators across several habitats, such as the internationally important blanket bog, home to the ground beetle, Carabus clatratus. Linear mixed effects modelling and non-metric multidimensional scaling are employed to disentangle the most influential management and environmental factors. Grazing state may be determined by the presence of Molinia caerulea or Nardus stricta, and variables such as % traditional ewes, % vegetation litter and % scrub prove valuable indicators of diversity. Measures of ecosystem functioning, e.g. plant biomass (nutrient cycling) and % vegetation cover (erosion rates) are influenced by plant diversity, which is influenced by grazing management. Levels of the ecosystem service, soil organic carbon, vary with ground beetle abundance and diversity, potentially influencing carbon sequestration and thereby climate change. The majority of species from all three taxa are found in the lowlands, with the exception of birds such as meadow pipit and skylark. The scale of measurement should be determined by the size and mobility of the species in question. The challenge is to manage these high nature value landscapes using agri-environment schemes which enhance biodiversity by maintaining structural heterogeneity across a range of scales, altitudes and habitats whilst integrating the decisions of people living and working in these marginal areas.en
dc.description.sponsorshipScience Foundation Ireland (Research Frontiers Programme 2006, Proposal Code: 05/RF/EEB039)en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationAnderson, R. M. 2013. Biodiversity change in the Irish uplands - the effects of grazing management. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.en
dc.identifier.endpage274
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/1290
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2013, Roslyn M. Anderson.en
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/en
dc.subjectBiodiversityen
dc.subjectUplanden
dc.subjectGrazing managementen
dc.subjectHill sheep farmsen
dc.subjectAgri-environment schemeen
dc.subjectEcosystem functioning and servicesen
dc.subjectHabitat heterogeneityen
dc.subjectVegetationen
dc.subjectPlant diversityen
dc.subjectGround beetle diversityen
dc.subjectBreeding bird diversityen
dc.subjectBlanket bogen
dc.subjectCarbon sequestrationen
dc.subjectAssemblageen
dc.subjectSpatial scaleen
dc.subjectSustainableen
dc.subjectEcologyen
dc.subjectCounty Kerryen
dc.subject.lcshAgricultural ecology--Irelanden
dc.subject.lcshBirds--Breeding--Irelanden
dc.subject.lcshSustainable agricultureen
dc.subject.lcshBeetlesen
dc.thesis.opt-outfalse
dc.titleBiodiversity change in the Irish uplands - the effects of grazing managementen
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD (Science)en
ucc.workflow.supervisorj.ohalloran@ucc.ie
Files
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
5.62 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Doctoral Theses
Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences - Doctoral Theses
College of Science, Engineering and Food Science - Doctoral Theses