IAI-Data-CRN_012_Altesor_Grass: Changes in diversity, floristic composition and plant traits of the major life forms in five Uruguayan grasslands

Our objectives were to analyse the changes in diversity, floristic composition and plant traits of the major life forms (graminoids and forbs) in response to nine years of grazing exclosure in five Uruguayan grasslands. The floristic composition and species frequency of five grazing exclosures set up between 1989 and 1990 were recorded annually until 1998 by the Direccion de Suelos of the Ministerio de Ganaderia, Agricultura y Pesca (MGAP, Uruguay). Frequency values were obtained by recording all the species contacts in 50 points by a needle. In each site 25 observations were distributed regularly along two 50-m transects. We analysed the temporal trends using linear regression models and Non-Metric Dimensional Scaling. We also analysed the temporal changes of nine plant traits of the aminoid species. The traits included morphological, physiological and ecological characteristics of the species that are expected to change in response to grazing.