India, Sept. 7 -- Grasslands that are ploughed for agriculture or cleared for development may never fully return to their original ecological state, even after centuries of regrowth; according to a new global study involving researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune.

The study - published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on August 24 - analysed 742 plant species across grasslands on six continents to understand why secondary grasslands (those that regrow after being disturbed) remain different from ancient, undisturbed grasslands.

The researchers found that the differences are remarkably consistent across regions, regardless of whether the grasslands are in ...