Shifts in dry grassland vegetation depend on soil and micro-topography

Shifts in dry grassland vegetation depend on soil and micro-topography | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Shifts in dry grassland vegetation depend on soil and micro-topography Susanne Horka, Larissa Frey, Ute Jandt, Helge Bruelheide This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7934462/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background and Aims: This study assesses how environmental gradients and land-use jointly shape taxonomic and functional changes in dry grassland vegetation in Central Germany. We tested whether plant functional types and traits explain these changes and reflect ecological strategies under land-use and climate change. Given the widespread abandonment of less fertile and intensification of more fertile grasslands, we hypothesized that disturbance-related variables have stronger impacts on vegetation change than abiotic factors. Methods: Vegetation and environmental data were collected from rocky outcrops differing in slope, aspect, soil properties and proximity to agricultural fields. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) models were used to evaluate the relative influence of abiotic predictors on taxonomic turnover and functional change, including non-linear and interactive effects. Functional types were defined by life form, longevity, strategy type and leaf traits. Model performance was assessed via cross-validated deviance explained, root mean square error and correlation, while spatial autocorrelation tested for missing landscape gradients. Results: BRT models performed well, revealing that taxonomic turnover was mainly driven by microtopography (slope, aspect), with soil and edge effects being secondary. Turnover peaked on flatter, mesic slopes with low soil C/N ratios. Functional shifts were better captured by aggregated functional types than by individual traits, showing increases in ruderal, stress-ruderal and competitive-ruderal strategists and declines in perennial forms. Interactions (e.g. C/N x pH, aspect x C/N) amplified functional changes in transition zones. Conclusion: Microtopography dominates taxonomic shifts, functional types outperform single traits and mesic transition zones emerge as hotspots of vegetation turnover. Dry grasslands Fragmented landscape Microtopography Plant functional types Taxonomic composition Vegetation change Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major revisions 22 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 30 Oct, 2025 Editor invited by journal 29 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 28 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 23 Oct, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7934462","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":537337967,"identity":"dfd62386-069b-4612-86eb-5734c54db05b","order_by":0,"name":"Susanne Horka","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA7ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBCDBAYGNgaGD0AWGzspWhhngLQwk6KFmQfEJKRFfkb6w8+FO2zy+KWPJX62+bVNno+ZgfHDxxzcWgxu5BhLzzyTVizZl3ZYOrfvtmEbMwOz5MxteLRI5DBI87YdTtxwhr1BOrfnNiNQCxszLx4tQIc9/s3b9h+kpfm3Zc9te4JaGG4kmAFtOQDUwnZMmuHH7USCWgzOvDGz5m1LTpzZw5Zm2dtwO7mNmbEZr1/k29Mf3+Zts0vs52EzvvHjz23b+e3NBz98xOcwFMDYBiYbiFUPAn9IUTwKRsEoGAUjBQAA8ZhOTIB3XwAAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3009-2156","institution":"MLU Faculty I of Natural Science - 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We tested whether\u0026nbsp;plant functional types and traits explain these changes and reflect ecological strategies under land-use\u0026nbsp;and climate change. Given the widespread abandonment of less fertile and intensification of more fertile\u0026nbsp;grasslands, we hypothesized that disturbance-related variables have stronger impacts on vegetation\u0026nbsp;change than abiotic factors.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMethods: Vegetation and environmental data were collected from rocky outcrops differing in slope, aspect, soil properties and proximity to agricultural fields. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) models were used to evaluate the relative influence of abiotic predictors on taxonomic turnover and functional change, including non-linear and interactive effects. Functional types were defined by life form, longevity, strategy type and leaf traits. Model performance was assessed via cross-validated deviance explained, root mean square error and correlation, while spatial autocorrelation tested for missing landscape gradients.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResults: BRT models performed well, revealing that taxonomic turnover was mainly driven by microtopography (slope, aspect), with soil and edge effects being secondary. Turnover peaked on flatter, mesic slopes with low soil C/N ratios. Functional shifts were better captured by aggregated functional types than by individual traits, showing increases in ruderal, stress-ruderal and competitive-ruderal strategists and declines in perennial forms. Interactions (e.g. C/N x pH, aspect x C/N) amplified functional changes in transition zones.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConclusion: Microtopography dominates taxonomic shifts, functional types outperform single traits and mesic transition zones emerge as hotspots of vegetation turnover.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Shifts in dry grassland vegetation depend on soil and micro-topography","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-11-10 23:22:46","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7934462/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Major revisions","date":"2025-12-22T19:58:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2025-10-30T11:05:16+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-10-30T08:09:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"Plant and Soil","date":"2025-10-29T08:44:07+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-10-28T08:38:58+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Plant and Soil","date":"2025-10-23T13:50:36+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"plant-and-soil","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"plso","sideBox":"Learn more about [Plant and Soil](https://www.springer.com/journal/11104)","snPcode":"11104","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11104/3","title":"Plant and Soil","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"0472e864-e1b5-408b-a241-4ff7a998076a","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 10th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-07T06:45:20+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-11-10 23:22:46","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7934462","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7934462","identity":"rs-7934462","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}