Effect of land use change on the invasion processes of Brachypodium species from a taxonomic and functional point of view in sub- mediterranean grassland

The cessation of semi-extensive farming or underutilization of grasslands is leading to vegetation changes in semi-natural sub-Mediterranean mountains and throughout Europe. At the community level, these changes foster the spread of unpalatable tall grasses, mostly with competitive stress- tolerant strategies (Brachypodium sp. pl. in the Italian peninsula), affecting species diversity and decreasing the nutrient value of grassland ecosystems. The research aims are to: 1. understand the implications of abandonment of pastoral systems on plant communities’ taxonomical and functional diversity along environmental gradients at different spatial scales; 2. evaluate species and functional composition recovery in grassland communities invaded by Brachypodium after mowing management in the sub-Mediterranean climate; 3. understand how the species and functional composition and diversity of the community change over time in mown and abandoned meadows and how they change along long- term disturbance gradients. We expected to get a more profound understanding of the response mechanisms to disturbance of both Brachypodium and the grassland community, and to acquire knowledge for the definition of management plans and recovery of pastoral systems with important effects on the economic sustainability of the semi-extensive farming in sub-Mediterranean areas. Thus, the expected outcomes were: 1. modelling the effect of environmental conditions on species and functional diversity of grassland communities after long-term abandonment at different spatial scales; 2. disentangling the effects of disturbance from those of dominant tall grass features in driving the functional variation of restored grasslands; 3. modelling the change of community’s species and functional composition and diversity along disturbance gradients and over time.