20.500.12556/DKUM-94155 Impact of grassland management system intensity on composition of functional groups and soil chemical properties in semi-natural grasslands Semi-natural grasslands are some of the most species-rich habitats in Europe and provide important ecosystem services such as biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and soil fertility maintenance. This study investigates how different intensities of grassland management affect the composition of functional groups and soil chemical properties. Five grassland management systems were analyzed: Cut3—three cuts per year; LGI—low grazing intensity; CG—combined cutting and grazing; Cut4—four cuts per year; and HGI—high grazing intensity. The functional groups assessed were grasses, legumes and forbs, while soil samples from three depths (0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm) were analyzed for their chemical properties (soil organic carbon—SOC; soil total nitrogen—STN; inorganic soil carbon—SIC; soil organic matter—SOM; potassium oxide—K2O; phosphorus pentoxide—P2O5; C/N ratio; and pH) and physical properties (volumetric soil water content—VWC; bulk density—BD; and porosity—POR). The results showed that less intensive systems had a higher proportion of legumes, while species diversity, as measured via the Shannon index, was the highest in the Cut4 system. The CG system tended to have the highest SOC and STN at a 0–10 cm depth, with a similar trend observed for SOCstock at a 0–30 cm depth. The Cut4, HGI and CG systems also had an increased STNstock. Both grazing systems had the highest P2O5 content. A tendency towards a higher BD was observed in the top 10 cm of soil in the more intensive systems. Choosing a management strategy that is tailored to local climate and site conditions is crucial for maintaining grassland stability, enhancing carbon sequestration and promoting long-term sustainability in the context of climate change. grassland biodiversity management intensity composition of functional groups soil chemical and physical properties carbon and nitrogen storage soil C:N ratio sustainability true true true Angleški jezik Angleški jezik Znanstveno delo 2025-08-06 03:10:47 2025-10-13 10:21:19 2025-10-14 03:17:25 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 str. 1-19 Iss. 15, [article no.] 2274 Vol. 14 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2025-07-22 2025-07-22 2025-07-24 633.2/.3 244024579 10.3390/plants14152274 2223-7747 https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/15/2274 1 32a122f2-7262-11f0-81cc-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=194827 RAZ_Lisec_Urska_2025.pdf RAZ_Lisec_Urska_2025.pdf 1 67E66C88DF5AD4627DE0D8A22AB5E484 c3f828a2100698c38f5bdfaca1357dc17c510291c72a56e9c5ed1bda9e7f829b 829d0b63-a80d-11f0-9756-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=199808 Fakulteta za kmetijstvo in biosistemske vede 0 0 0