Human-induced edges alter grassland community composition

Habitat fragmentation alters the edges of remnant habitat patches. We examined changes in the plant community and soil in relation to distance from edge and edge type for shrub-steppe and pine savannah grasslands in southern British Columbia, Canada. Community composition showed significant nonlinear relationships with distance-to-edge more frequently at paved roads and fruit crops than at dirt roads or control sites (i.e., in the interior of grassland patches), with changes typically extending 25–30 m. More exotic species and fewer native species were found near edges, and edges showed decreased cryptogam cover and increased bare ground, especially near paved roads. The soil factors that best predicted compositional changes were soil pH and Cu/Mn at paved roads, soil pH and nitrogen at fruit crops, and soil resistance at dirt roads. Variation partitioning suggested that both direct (e.g., propagule pressure) and indirect (environmental change) factors mediated edge-related community changes, and provided evidence that nonlinear responses at developed edges were not due to natural gradients. Given the range of grassland patch sizes in this region (many patches 1–100 ha), the edge effects we observed represent a considerable loss of “core” habitat, which must be accounted for in conservation planning and site restoration.

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► We compare plant composition at the edge and interior of remnant grasslands.
► Grassland edges were created through development of roads and fruit crops.
► Edges with high contrast showed stronger and more frequent edge effects.
► Edge effects differed from natural variation in the interior of grassland patches.
► We recommend accounting for edge effects in landscape management.