Meadow
A meadow is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate these areas as long as they maintain an open character. These habitats can occur naturally under favorable conditions but are often artificially created from cleared shrub or woodland for the production of hay, fodder, or livestock. Meadow habitats as a group are characterized as semi-natural grasslands. They are largely composed of species native to the region with only limited human intervention. Meadows attract a multitude of wildlife and support flora and fauna that could not thrive in other habitats. They provide areas for animal courtship displays, nesting, food gathering, pollinating insects, and sometimes shelter if the vegetation is high enough.
In agriculture, a meadow is grassland that is not regularly grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to produce hay. Their origins extend back to the Iron Age when appropriate tools for the hay harvest emerged. The ability to produce livestock fodder on meadows had a significant advantage for livestock production since animals could be kept in enclosures. This simplified control over breeding and allowed surpluses in biomass production during the summer to be stored for the winter. Preventing damage to forests and grasslands meant there was no longer the need for livestock grazing during the winter. Especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the term meadow is commonly used in its original sense to mean a hay meadow. Signifying grassland mown annually in the summer for making hay, these agricultural meadows were once common in rural Britain but are now in decline. Ecologist Professor John Rodwell states that over the past century England and Wales have lost about 97% of their hay meadows. Fewer than half remain in the UK and most sites are relatively small and fragmented. Twenty-five percent of the UK's meadows are found in Worcestershire with Foster's Green Meadow managed by the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust being a major site.
A transitional meadow occurs when a field, pasture, farmland, or other cleared land is no longer cut or grazed and starts to display luxuriant growth. It extends to the flowering and self-seeding of its grass and wildflower species. The condition is however only temporary because the grasses eventually become shaded out when scrub and woody plants become well-established. This marks the return to a fully wooded state. A transitional state can be artificially-maintained through a double-field system where cultivated soil and meadows are alternated for a period of 10 to 12 years each. In North America prior to European colonization, Algonquians, Iroquois and other Native Americans peoples regularly cleared areas of forest to create transitional meadows. Deer and game could find food and be hunted there. Some of today's meadows originated thousands of years ago due to regular burnings by Native Americans. A perpetual meadow, also called a natural meadow, is one in which environmental factors such as climatic and soil conditions are favorable to perennial grasses. These factors restrict the growth of woody plants indefinitely. Types of perpetual meadows may include Alpine meadows occurring at high elevations above the tree line maintained by harsh climatic conditions.
Recently urban areas have been thought of as potential biodiversity conservation sites. The shift from urban lawns that are widely spread habitats in cities to urban meadows is thought to promote greater refuges for plant and animal communities. Urban lawns require intensive management that puts life there at risk of losing their habitat especially due to mowing frequency. Cutting that mowing frequency has demonstrated to induce a clear positive effect on the plant community's diversity. This allows the switch from urban lawns to urban meadows. Due to increased urbanization the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2017 decreed that there is a need to protect all ecosystems due to climate change. The majority of people living in urban regions usually get their plant knowledge from visiting parks or public green infrastructure. Local authorities have the duty of providing green spaces but these departments suffer major budget cuts making it more difficult for people to admire natural wildlife. In line with the increasing acceptance of a messier urban aesthetic, perennial meadows can be seen as a more realistic alternative to classic urban lawns. They would also be more cost-efficient to maintain. Factors managers list include aesthetics, locational context, human resources, economic sustainability, local politics, communication, biodiversity, and physical factors.
Climate changes impact temperature precipitation patterns worldwide. Temperatures tend to increase while snowpacks tend to melt earlier and many places become drier. Many species respond by slowly moving their habitat upwards. Increased elevation decreases mean temperatures allowing species to largely maintain their original habitat. Another common response are phenological adaptations including shifts in the timing of germination or blossoming. Other examples include changing migration patterns of birds of passage. These adaptations are primarily influenced by three drivers: increased temperature, changing precipitation patterns, and reduced snowpack. In the meadows water turned out to be all the more scant implying less dampness for plants. Blooming plants do not develop too and hence do not give much food to creatures. Changes in plants could influence the population of buffalo just as numerous other creatures including bugs and insects. Spatial shifts refer to migration towards colder areas often on higher altitudes. A temporal shift means that a plant may alter its phenology to blossom at a different time of year. By moving towards early spring or late autumn they can restore previous temperature conditions.
Meadows can act as substantial sinks and sources of organic carbon holding vast quantities of it in the soil. The fluxes of carbon depend mainly on the natural cycle of carbon uptake and efflux interplaying with seasonal variations. Wide range of meadow subtypes have differing attributes affecting the area's ability to act as sinks. Seagrass meadows are identified as some of the more important sinks in the global carbon cycle. Meanwhile usual driver of meadow loss is climate change consequently increasing carbon emissions. This brings up restoration projects which in some cases have prompted initiated meadow restorations like Zostera marina meadow in Virginia U.S.A. Where grassland degradation has occurred significant alterations to carbon dioxide efflux during non-growing season may take place. Both climate change and overgrazing factor into the degradation. As exemplified by alpine wetland meadow on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau there is potential for being moderate source of CO2 and carbon sink due to high soil organic content. Strong connection between grassland degradation and soil carbon loss indicates carbon dioxide release is stimulated by this event. This subsequently indicates climate change mitigation potential by restoring degraded grassland. Cap-and-trade programs look at how meadow restorations can be incorporated into systems reducing carbon emissions.
Common questions
What is a meadow and how is it defined?
A meadow is an open habitat or field vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate these areas as long as they maintain an open character.
When did the origins of agricultural meadows begin in history?
The origins of agricultural meadows extend back to the Iron Age when appropriate tools for the hay harvest emerged. These meadows allowed livestock to be kept in enclosures and biomass surpluses to be stored for winter use.
How many hay meadows have been lost in England and Wales over the past century?
England and Wales have lost about 97% of their hay meadows over the past century according to Ecologist Professor John Rodwell. Fewer than half remain in the UK and most sites are relatively small and fragmented.
Why do climate changes affect plant life in meadows globally?
Climate changes impact temperature precipitation patterns worldwide causing temperatures to increase while snowpacks tend to melt earlier and many places become drier. Many species respond by slowly moving their habitat upwards to higher elevations where mean temperatures decrease.
What role do seagrass meadows play in the global carbon cycle?
Seagrass meadows are identified as some of the more important sinks in the global carbon cycle holding vast quantities of organic carbon in the soil. Restoration projects like Zostera marina meadow in Virginia U.S.A demonstrate potential for mitigating climate change through grassland restoration.