Effect of Disturbances on the Ecosystem Services of Natural Grasslands
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Grassland and Pasture Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editors
2. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca 8000, Argentina
Interests: grasslands ecology; effect of anthropogenic and natural disturbances; functional ecology; restauration of degraded grasslands
2. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Ciencias de la Salud, Sede Puerto Madryn, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Boulevard Brown 3700, Puerto Madryn 9120, Argentina
Interests: functioning of arid and semi-arid ecosystems; nitrogen and carbon cycling and the influence of grazing; indicators of ecosystem degradation (desertification); soil–microorganism–plant–herbivore interactions; grassland resilience
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural grasslands are extensive ecosystems that support rich biodiversity and provide key components of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP), such as forage production, carbon sequestration, water regulation, and pollination. Grassland’s ability to sustain natural contributions is progressively undermined by a range of disturbances, including intensive grazing, modified fire regimes, prolonged droughts, land-use changes, and biological invasions. These threats are accelerating due to the impacts of climate change.
This Special Issue aims to explore how different types, intensities, and frequencies of disturbance affect grassland functionality and NCP. We are interested in studies that investigate ecological responses, including community structure, primary productivity, nutrient dynamics, resilience, and biotic interactions.
We encourage submissions to explore the following topics in particular:
- Evaluate how disturbances and climate variability affect pollination, biodiversity, and habitat availability.
- Assess trade-offs and synergies among NCPs.
- Investigate the resilience and recovery processes of grassland ecosystems.
- Apply experimental, modeling, or landscape-scale approaches.
- Propose management strategies that strengthen grassland’s sustainability.
Dr. Ana Elena de Villalobos
Dr. Analía Carrera
Dr. Elizabeth Juliana Jacobo
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- natural grasslands
- functional diversity
- grassland degradation
- NCP
- disturbance regimes
- climate change
- biodiversity conservation
- land-use change
- sustainable management
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