Differential responses of ground dwelling arthropods to ski-piste restoration by hydroseeding

Abstract

The construction of ski-pistes can cause serious damage to all the components of an ecosystem and may therefore be considered as one of the main causes of human-driven environmental changes in mountain habitats. This study was aimed at assessing the responses of different ground dwelling arthropod assemblages (i.e. ground beetles, spiders and grasshoppers) to ski-piste restoration through hydroseeding with commercial seed mixtures. The soil, vegetation and arthropods of restored and un-restored ski-pistes and the adjacent grassland have been sampled at two high altitude sites in the north-western Italian Alps. The ski-piste soil was characterized by a higher skeletal content and, consequently, a lower amount of fine earth and organic matter than that of the undisturbed adjacent grassland. The plant cover of the restored ski-pistes was very low above 2500 m a.s.l.; the vegetation cover below this threshold was higher in the study area, mainly due to the seeded species. The unrestored ski-pistes showed very large proportions of bare ground. The responses of the three ground-dwelling arthropod groups to vegetation conditions were different. GLMMs and IndVal analyses showed that all three groups avoided the unrestored skipistes plots, which were characterized by a very scarce vegetation cover, irrespective of the altitude. The low altitude plots of the restored ski-pistes, which were characterized by a high vegetation cover, had a significantly larger number of grasshoppers on the ski-pistes than on the adjacent grassland plots. Moreover, these restored ski-piste plots were used in equal proportion to the adjacent grassland plots by ground beetles but avoided by spiders. When ski-pistes become sufficiently revegetated by hydroseeded plants, they are colonized by grasshoppers and, to a lesser extent, by ground-beetles. Spiders, instead, do not colonize the pistes, thus demonstrating that they are the most sensitive arthropods and may therefore represent the best indicators of human-driven environmental changes in high altitude alpine habitats.

Climate change will increase the potential conflict between skiing and high‐elevation bird species in the Alps

“…Given the alarming range contractions forecast for high‐elevation species in general, and the increasing potential impact of ski‐pistes on those species, it is essential to develop conservation strategies to safeguard high alpine habitats against negative effects of ski development. There is a need to promote better management of existing ski‐pistes to minimize their negative impacts, through grassland restoration and minimization of deleterious management practices (Negro et al ., ; Rixen & Rolando, ). However, the priority should be to secure the persistence of climatically and structurally suitable sites for those threatened species, unaltered by development.…”

“…The negative effect of ski‐pistes is mostly tied to the removal of vegetation and soil (see Fig. S1 in Appendix S1 in Supporting Information); this is not invariably performed on all ski‐pistes, but has become the standard practice for modern ski‐piste construction (Negro et al ., ). Altered soil structure, harsh climate and plant species traits together prevent the re‐establishment of vegetation, and grass cover for wild species remains extremely low for long periods even with modern restoration techniques such as hydro‐seeding (Negro et al ., ).…”

Mid and long-term ecological impacts of ski run construction on alpine ecosystems

“…These altered soil properties trigger erosion and affect the natural recolonization and development of plant communities, particularly on slopes above the timberline. 3 University of Turin, Natrisk, Largo Braccini, 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy. 4 School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, College Rd, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK.…”

The effect of slope level and hydroseeding formula on the growth of Cyperus brevifolius and Pueraria javanica seedlings

“…The use of the right composition is necessary considering that the application of hydroseeding is very wide, even for wetland ecosystems (Tilley and John 2013). The success of hydroseeding applications can support the formation of new ecosystems that attract Arthropods, such as grasshoppers and ground-beetles (Kessler et al 2012;Negro et al 2013). This is necessary to ensure for ecosystem cycle.…”