Effects of Panels and Management on Plant Community Composition in Southern French Solar Parks
Louison Bienvenu, Arnaud Lec’hvien, Raphaël Gros, Elise Kebaili, Bertrand Schatz, Armin Bischoff, Francis Isselin‐Nondedeu
Abstract
ABSTRACT Aims The ongoing increase of solar parks creates and transforms open ecosystems. Solar park ecosystems combine artificial and semi‐natural microhabitats depending on the influence of solar panels. We distinguished microhabitats outside panels (unshaded), inter‐rows between panels (partial shading) and microhabitats under panels (constantly shaded). Furthermore, solar parks need to be managed by grazing or mowing to avoid the overgrowth of solar panels. The aim of our study was to assess the effects of management and microhabitat on plant community composition. Location Southwestern ( Landes de Gascogne ) and southeastern France ( Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur ). Methods We analyzed the vegetation of 20 solar parks, with half of the parks being grazed and the other half being mown. We used a randomized block design with one 4 m 2 plot in each microhabitat replicated in four blocks per park. We identified all vascular plant species and visually estimated their cover. Results The microhabitat effect was significant for species richness, plant cover, and species composition. The plant species richness was on average 34% lower under than outside panels. The dissimilarity between under and outside panel plant species composition was explained by at least 17% of the species. The effect of management was smaller, being only significant for plant species composition but not for richness, cover, or evenness. The management–microhabitat interaction was significant only for plant cover. Conclusions The strong effect of solar panels on plant communities advocates for differential conservation strategies adjusted for microhabitat.