2013 Volume 30 Issue 2 Pages 119-126
The relationships between species richness, species composition and area of eight fragmented semi-natural grasslands were studied in the central Kinki District, Japan. The number of grassland elements (the component species of semi-natural grasslands) had a high positive correlation with the grassland area in both the species-log area and log species-log area models. The grassland elements were classified into four species groups based on the similarity of their occurrence patterns in response to the decrease in the area. Species designated as extinct or threatened by the Red Lists exhibited a tendency to be absent in smaller grasslands. We showed that it is essential to conserve and restore all eight fragmented grasslands to maintain the species richness in this area.
