ORIGINAL PAPER Diversity and floristic patterns of mediterranean grasslands: the relative influence of environmental and land management factors Silvia Ribeiro • Joa ˜o Paulo Fernandes • M. Dalila Espı ´rito-Santo Received: 19 February 2014 / Revised: 23 June 2014 / Accepted: 26 June 2014 / Published online: 16 July 2014 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 Abstract Managed grasslands are normally ecosystems with high species diversity. They are associated with traditional extensive livestock grazing. Land-use changes, in particular gradual abandonment or grazing intensification, lead to major changes in floristic patterns of these grasslands, some included in priority habitats of the EU Habitats Directive. In order to analyse these patterns of change, Mediterranean grasslands of eastern areas of mainland Portugal were studied aiming to: (1) establish ecological gradients underlying their floristic patterns; (2) examine the relative importance of both environmental and land- use factors on their floristic composition; (3) assess how floristic composition and species richness are affected by land-use factors. Vegetation sampling was carried out from 2008 to 2009 following phytosociological procedures. Canonical Correspondence Analysis was Nomenclature: Botanical nomenclature follows Aedo and Herrero (2005), Benedı ´ et al. (2009), Castroviejo et al. (1986, 1993a, b, 1997a, b, 2008), Devesa et al. (2007), Franco (1984), Franco and Rocha Afonso (1994, 1998), Morales et al. (2010), Mun ˜oz Garmendia and Navarro (1998), Nieto Feliner et al. (2003), Paiva et al. (2001), Talavera et al. (1999, 2000, 2010, 2012) and also Dı ´az Lifante and Benito (1996) for Asphodelus, Franco (1971) for Tuberaria, Geraniaceae and Linaceae, Oliveira (2005) for Arrhenatherum, Pizarro (1995) for Ranunculus and Va ´zquez and Barkworth (2004) for Celtica. The bioclimatological, biogeographical and syntaxonomical typology was checked according to Rivas-Martı ´nez et al. (2002a, b, 2011) and Rivas-Martı ´nez (2007) and Costa et al. (2012). Communicated by Jo ¨rg Brunet. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10531-014-0754-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. S. Ribeiro Á M. D. Espı ´rito-Santo Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Centro de Bota ˆnica Aplicada a ` Agricultura, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal S. Ribeiro (&) Urb. Qta da Granja, Lt.12, 1° A, 6000-123 Castelo Branco, Portugal e-mail: silvia.sbenedita@gmail.com J. P. Fernandes Instituto de Cie ˆncias Agra ´rias e Ambientais Mediterra ˆnicas, Universidade de E ´ vora, E ´ vora, Portugal 123 Biodivers Conserv (2014) 23:2903–2921 DOI 10.1007/s10531-014-0754-y