Seasonality promotes grassland diversity: interactions with mowing, fertilization and removal of dominant species

1. Current biodiversity declines in species-rich grasslands are connected with the cessation of management, eutrophication and the expansion of dominant grass species. One of the theoretical mechanisms limiting biodiversity loss is the ability of subordinate species to avoid competitive exclusion by seasonal niche separation from dominant species. Here we explore how seasonality underpins the maintenance of diversity in temperate meadows under different management regimes and competition intensities in relation to species functional traits. 2. We studied eight different communities in a long-term meadow experiment that manipulated mowing, fertilization and dominant species (Molinia caerulea) removal. In each community, species-specific trait and biomass data were taken five times during the year to test whether seasonal variation in species composition and functional strategies enable species to coexist. 3. Mown unfertlized meadows exhibited pronounced seasonal variations in community c...