Conservation implications of grazing practices on the plant and dipteran communities of a turlough in Co. Mayo, Ireland

Abstract

Turloughs, which are classified as priority habitats under the European Habitats Directive, are seasonally flooded depressions found almost exclusively in Ireland. In 2001, three adjacent fields with different stocking densities were selected and plant=dipteran communities within the same vegetation zone of each field (site) were investigated using quadrats and sweep netting, respectively. There was a significant positive relationship between Diptera morphospecies richness=Diptera abundance and mean vegetation height (P < 0.001). However, no significant relationship between Diptera morphospecies richness and plant species richness was found. Median Diptera morphospecies richness per sweep was lower at the site with the highest stocking density (17) than at the other two sites (22 and 31, respectively). Total species richness of Sciomyzidae was greater at the least grazed site (7) than at the more heavily grazed sites (2 and 1, respectively). The results suggest that an evaluation of turlough management practices based on plant communities alone is not sufficient and that at least some areas within the turlough basin remain ungrazed on a rotational basis to ensure maximum diversity of Diptera.

Effects of agri-environment management for cirl buntings on other biodiversity

“…In fact, abundances of these groups did not differ between AES and control pastures. Reductions in species richness and/or abundance, and changes in species composition, have been observed in these groups in more intensively managed grassland (Siepel 1990;Gibson et al 1992;Kruess and Tscharntke 2002a;Ryder et al 2005;Zurbrügg and Frank 2006). However, such differences as there are between AES and control pasture management have not altered sward height between them, which is likely to be the strongest determinant of abundance of these groups.…”

Interactive effects of large herbivores and plant diversity on insect abundance in a meadow steppe in China

“…Previous studies show that grazing managements in grasslands can lead to either lower (Gonzalez-Megias et al, 2004;Joern, 2005;Littlewood, 2008), or higher insect abundance and richness (Cagnolo et al, 2002;Ryder et al, 2005;Debano, 2006;Rosa-García et al, 2009). Such conflicting results might partly derive from the difference in grazing intensity (Kruess and Tscharntke, 2002b;Cease et al, 2012), grazing season (Fonderflick et al, 2014), and grazer species (Dolek and Geyer, 2002).…”

Factors affecting Sciomyzidae (Diptera) across a transect at Skealoghan Turlough (Co. Mayo, Ireland)

“…Although much work has focused on the hydrology (Coxon 1987b), and the plant (MacGowran 1985), aquatic invertebrate (Bilton and Lott 1991;Tobin and McCarthy 2004;O'Connor et al 2004), and beetle (Good and Butler 2001;Ní Bhriain et al 2002) communities of turloughs, only one study to date by Ryder et al (2005), has considered Sciomyzidae on turloughs. Ryder et al showed that species richness and abundance patterns of Sciomyzidae followed those of dipteran morpho-species (in 33 other families) under three different management regimes, indicating that Sciomyzidae could be sensitive indicators of grazing.…”