Publication details
Influence of management practices on arthropod communities in dry species-rich grasslands in the Western Carpathians
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| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| Citation | |
| Description | Semi-natural grasslands are very important for maintaining arthropod biodiversity in Central Europe, but their condition depends on the type and intensity of grassland management. In a small-scale field experiment at two sites in the White Carpathians and Vsetínské vrchy Mountains, the response of six arthropod taxa (Arachnida, Auchenorrhyncha, Heteroptera, Orthoptera, Chrysomelidae and Curculionoidea) to four different management methods (mowing, sheep grazing, sheep grazing combined with burning, and abandonment of use) was studied. Arthropods were collected in forty experimental plots (5 × 5 m) with standardized suction sampling four times per season for three consecutive years. The highest abundances and species richness of arachnids and predatory true bugs and the highest abundances of Auchenorrhyncha and Curculionoidea were found in the abandoned plots. On the other hand, many arthropod species, including a number of threatened taxa, preferred regularly managed plots. Grazing increased the species richness of Auchenorrhyncha and Chrysomelidae. Burning in combination with grazing was not beneficial for maintaining high species richness in any arthropod group. Both changes in spatial structure and species composition of vegetation and direct effects of management were likely responsible for significant differences in species composition of all arthropod groups studied between differently managed plots. |