Abstract South American grasslands contain extraordinary biodiversity and play a central role in the subsistence of regional agroecosystems. In recent decades, afforestation, followed by the soybean planting boom, have led to drastic land‐use changes at the expense of grasslands. Impacts on local biodiversity have remained understudied. We explored the taxonomic richness and ß‐diversity of plants of ground layer (excluding trees and shrubs) at different land uses, its interplay at regional scale with environmental heterogeneity, and at local scale with novel land cover types and landscape configurations. We conducted correlation, principal component, NDMS, and SDR analysis to explore variation of taxonomic richness, richness difference, replacement, and similarity of ground flora as response to environmental filters and land use change across Uruguay. We surveyed 160 plots distributed in 10 land cover types, that is, closed and open native forests, different grasslands, crops, orchards, and timber plantations. We observed overlaying regional patterns driven by seasonality of temperature and precipitation, and land cover shaping taxonomic richness at local scale. Landscape configuration affects diversity patterns of native ground flora, which seems to be sustained mainly by the “old growth grassland” species pool. Taxonomic richness of native species decreases with an increase of distance to grassland. Crops and grasslands harbor a higher number of native species in the ground flora than native forests and timber plantations. The introduction of exotics is driven mostly by crops or highly modified pastures. Diversity patterns only partially reflect the ecoregion concept. Expanding the perspective from conservation in purely natural ecosystems to measures conserving species richness in human‐modified landscapes is a powerful tool against species loss in the Anthropocene.

Although land use change is the main driver of biodiversity decline in the South American temperate grasslands, its impacts on β‐diversity have not yet been evaluated. We investigated relationships between β‐diversity, landscape features, and geographical variables by surveying vegetation from 163 plots distributed in eight different land use types in Uruguay. We created land use maps using Landsat images and calculated landscape metrics, determining β‐diversity across all plots and exploring variation of β‐diversity among different land use types. We ran distance decay models to explore relationships between β‐diversity and geographical location, climate, and landscape metrics. Plant species communities were characterized by a high turnover and low nestedness of species, indicating high dissimilarity across Uruguay. Native forest showed higher β‐diversity than grassland, timber plantation, and crops. β‐diversity increased with geographical distance and environmental dissimilarity. At landscape scale, turnover decreased negatively and nestedness increased to contagion, number of patches, and area‐weighted mean. Nestedness increased with timber plantation and species turnover with crop area. Higher Landscape Shape Index of grassland and crops decreased species turnover. An increase of grassland and crop patches in the surrounding landscape was directly related to a higher species turnover. The high β‐diversity across Uruguay resulting from land use change, moderated by landscape configurations, suggests that numerous protected areas for different habitats are urgently required. A more inclusive vision on biodiversity conservation is necessary, extending the predominant focus from native forests to grasslands, and convincing a broad range of stakeholders, especially landowners and managers, about biodiversity‐friendly land‐use approaches.

South American grasslands, socio-ecological systems used heavily for a long time, are currently experiencing dramatic land-use changes due to implementation of large-scale afforestation and agro-industrial cash crops. Applying the conceptual framework of “Multifunctional and sustainable productive landscapes” to Uruguay, we explored the impacts on rural ecosystems and communities based on a long-term monitoring network by assessing species richness of plant and terrestrial arthropods and socio-economic data from national census. We found that silvi- and agricultural industry established mainly at the expense of extensively grazed grasslands and local family farms with traditional techniques, accompanied by a deregulation of the rural labor market, depopulation and aging of rural society. Governmental nature protection efforts increase the native forest cover and establish nature protection areas focusing mainly on forests. We also discuss pathways of land-use change in recent decades and related discourses of local stakeholders.

Study region: Uruguay, South AmericaStudy focus: Riparian ecosystems accumulate the impacts of land use change from extensively used grasslands to industrial cash crops in their watersheds and transport a proportion of pollution downstream. We modelled and assessed land use changes within different zones along Uruguayan freshwater ecosystems and estimated the potential risks of phosphorus and glyphosate runoff based on different land use scenarios.New hydrological insights for the region under study: We found that ongoing intensification of grasslands, as well as the conversion to cropland and timber plantations, exerted high pressure on aquatic ecosystems. Phosphorus runoff is expected to increase by more than 40% and glyphosate runoff by 500%. Excluding intensified land use within the first 100 m of streams can reduce pollutant discharge by approximate to 20%. We propose an expansion of pollution monitoring from large to small streams. Results from modelling can contribute to decision making and to raising awareness among stakeholders involved in land management and planning.

The "soils of the Anthropocene" are predominately agricultural. To understand them, we analyzed agri- and silvicultural intensification of Uruguayan grasslands (GLs) in a country-wide survey on fertility proxies, pH and trace metals in topsoils originating from different land uses across the whole country. Thus, our results reflect interactions of both the natural diversity of Uruguayan soil formation and the impacts of land use change. We observed a loss of nutrients, trace metals and organic matter from GLs, croplands and timber plantations (TPs). As an example, the cation exchange capacity was 160 % higher in native forests (NFs) compared to GLs and lowest in TPs, reaching only half of the cation exchange capacity (CEC) in GLs. Acidification of topsoils continues as three-fourths of all samples are "extremely acidic" and "very strongly acidic". Topsoils of riverine forests accumulate more trace metals compared to the other uses. We assume an accumulation in the topsoils of riverine forests, where high levels of nutrients, trace metals and organic carbon (OC) are found. The translocation of nutrients and organic matter across the landscape to the erosion base depends on local land use trajectories. Increasing soil acidification is driving a positive feedback loop, and land use intensification has lead to degradation of local black soils within a few decades. Our data raise questions about the resilience and carrying capacity of Uruguayan soils with regard to currently implemented highly productive management forms, including the use of TPs for carbon sequestration, and supports more conservative forms of extensive management on the GL biome.

Environmental management often lacks a harmonization across scales and beyond boundaries of the land with changed use. As an example, extensive areas of Uruguayan grassland have been transformed into crop and timber plantations in the past decades, but little is known about the possible impacts of these changes on neighboring native forests. We explore how the diversity of native forests differs in relation to land-use change trajectories, from grassland to monocultures, in the surrounding landscapes. We recorded woody species in 32 different native forest plots in Uruguay. Using Landsat images, we created land-use maps in a buffer of 3 km around each plot for the years 1986/1987, 1996/1997, 2006/2007 and 2016/2017. We calculated trajectories of changes regarding the percentage of cover per land use, the landscape shape and aggregation index for native forests, grassland, timber plantations and crops. Trajectories were explored based on the slope of the generalized linear model correlated with woody species composition. Landscape covered by native forests, timber plantations and crops increased whereas grassland cover decreased. Large and interconnected native forests in a landscape dominated by grasslands harbor a high diversity of woody species. Disaggregation of grassland resulted in a decrease in richness and diversity of woody species. The history of surrounding landscape determines diversity of native forests. We observed cross boundary effects of neighboring land uses on native forests. These effects have to be considered in all measures of environmental management to reduce the trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and economic profit. Nevertheless, other parameter such as climate and soil interplay, override and alter the effects of land use history and management.

The presented datasets relate to the research article entitled "Native forest meta-community structures in Uruguay shaped by novel land use types in their surroundings" [Ramírez and Säumel; Ecology and Evolution, 2022]. The datasets include field survey data on woody species presence and absence from 384 plots at 32 permanent monitoring sites of native forests across the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (South America). We compiled different methods from meta-community studies, remote sensing and landscape ecology to explore how woody species communities are influenced by land use change from local to regional scale. We describe the diverse woody species composition in native forests across Uruguay and structure of metacommunities of woody species. Data on woody species diversity inform landscape planning, land-use management, policy and governance and can be used for further meta-analysis with other local, regional or global data sets.

We explore the effect of land-use change from extensively used grasslands to intensified silvi- and agricultural monocultures on metacommunity structure of native forests in Uruguay. We integrated methods from metacommunity studies, remote sensing, and landscape ecology to explore how woody species distribution was influenced by land-use change from local to regional scale. We recorded richness and composition of adult and juvenile woody species from 32 native forests, created land-use maps from satellite image to calculate spatial metrics at landscape, class, and patch levels. We also analyzed the influence of land use pattern, climate, topography, and geographic distance between sites (d) on metacommunity, and created maps to visualize species richness and (dis)similarity between communities across the country. Woody species communities were distributed in a discrete pattern across Uruguay. Precipitation and temperature seasonality shaped species distribution pattern. Species richness and community dissimilarity increased from West to East. Latitude did not influence these patterns. Number of patches, landscape complexity, and interspersion and juxtaposition indexes determine woody species distribution at landscape level. Increasing areas covered by crops and timber plantation reduced species richness and increased community dissimilarity. The spatial metrics of native forest fragments at patch level did not influence metacommunity structure, species richness, and community dissimilarity. In conclusion, Uruguayan native forests display a high range of dissimilarity. Pressure of neighborhood land uses was the predominant factor for species assemblages. Conserving landscape structures that assure connectivity within and among native forest patches is crucial. On sites with rare target species, the creation of alliances between governmental institution and landowner complemented by incentives for biodiversity conservation provides opportunities to advance in species protection focused on those less tolerant to land-use change.

Abstract. The ‘soils of the anthropocene’ are predominately agricultural. To understand them, we analysed agri- and silvicultural intensification of Uruguayan grasslands in a country wide survey on fertility proxies, pH and trace metals in topsoils originating from different land uses. We observed a loss of nutrients, trace metals and organic matter from grassland, crops and timber plantations, and its accumulation in the topsoils of riverine forests. The translocation of nutrients and organic matter across the landscape to the erosion base depends on local land use trajectories. Increasing soil acidification is driving a positive feedback loop, and land use intensification is leading to degradation of local black soils within a few decades. Our data raises questions about the resilience and carrying capacity of Uruguayan soils with regard to currently implemented highly productive management forms, including the use of timber plantation for carbon sequestration, and supports more conservative forms of extensive management on the grassland biome.

The presented datasets relate to the research article entitled “Beyond the boundaries: Do spatio-temporal trajectories of land-use change and cross boundary effects shape the diversity of woody species in Uruguayan native forests?” [Ramírez and Säumel 10.1016/j.agee.2021.107646]. The datasets include field survey data on woody species diversity from 32 permanent plots of native forests across the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (South America). Based on land-use maps created with Landsat images we analysed the changes of percentage of cover, the landscape shape index and aggregation index of the different land-use types (i.e., native forest, grassland, timber plantation and crops) in a buffer of 3 km from the central point of each plot. Datasets were produced using ArcGIS and different R and Fragstat packages. Data on woody species diversity, land-use change history inform landscape planning, land-use management, policy and governance and can be used for further meta-analysis with other local, regional or global data sets.