Changes over three decades in the floristic composition of fertile permanent grasslands in the Swiss Alps
This study investigates how the floristic composition and species richness of fertile grasslands in the Swiss Alps has changed over the last three decades. A total of 259 phytosociological relevés in four regions were resurveyed after periods of between 17 and 29 years. Analysis of the data revealed that floristic composition of the grasslands changed significantly during the study period, although the factor 'time' explained only a small proportion of the total variation (2.0-4.1%).