1. Introduction . About one-third of the earth’s terrestrial surface and 70% of the global agricultural area is covered by grassland ecosystems [ 1 ], making them one of the most common land use types worldwide [ 2 , 3 ]. Apart from providing forage for livestock production [ 2 , 4 ], grasslands fulfil several functions and ecosystem services related to soil quality (carbon sequestration and controlling erosion and wildfires), hydrological balance, and climate change [ 4 , 5 ],...