Abstract
Miscanthus sinensis grasslands can be dominated by dwarf bamboo such as Pleioblastus chino var. viridis after abandonment, leading to decrease diversity in the communities. We investigated the effect of mowing on recovery of grassland species richness and cover, and overall species composition over three years. Two treatments were tested: mowing above ground vegetation every autumn and mowing above ground vegetation every autumn with selective cutting of P. chino var. viridis in the first summer. The number of grassland plant species increased slightly under both treatments, although M. sinensis did not return as the dominant species in either treatment after the restoration. The addition of selective cutting of P. chino var. viridis resulted in greater cover of M. sinensis and higher richness and cover of grassland species. These results show that selective cutting of P. chino var. viridis in summer enhance the effect of management for restoring grassland species diversity in long-abandoned semi-natural grassland communities.
