Response of Orthoptera species (Tettigoniidae and Acrididae) to wildfires in a Central European dry grassland

Bieringer, Georg

doi:10.1665/1082-6467(2002)011[0237:roosta]2.0.co;2

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Hence, fire and grazers are thought to pose a threat to their existence. In Austrian dry grassland, post-burn occurrence patterns of grasshopper species was not related to their dispersal abilities or how well egg deposition sites were protected from fire (Bieringer, 2002). In contrast to our expectations, we found three of the four flightless species (L. minuta, L. obtusifrons, and Q. fastigiata) multiple times in burned and grazed areas.…”

Section: Time Since Last Firecontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, the effects of disturbances are indirect (Bat ary et al, 2007). This was also the case for dry grassland in Austria over longer periods (Bieringer, 2002). Kang & Chen, 1995;Samways and Kreuzinger, 2001;Joern, 2004Joern, , 2005Bat ary et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…The sensitivity of grasshoppers to their floristic environment has implications for their response to plant successional trajectories and to specific burning and grazing regimes (Chambers & Samways, 1998;Bazelet & Samways, 2011b;Fartmann et al, 2012) via changes to the microclimate (Bieringer, 2002;Weiss et al, 2013). Microclimate, in turn, results from an interaction between the biotic and abiotic environment, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Positive effects of burning and cattle grazing on grasshopper diversity

Joubert

Pryke

Samways

2016

Insect Conserv Diversity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Grasshoppers constitute a significant proportion of invertebrate diversity in grasslands, but little is known about how fire and grazing, two of the main drivers of grassland dynamics, influence them. Here, we determine how these disturbances influence grasshopper diversity in remnant grassland ecological networks (ENs) among commercial forestry compartments in Afromontane grassland, South Africa. Sites differed in fire frequency (annual vs. longer rotation burning), time since last fire (<12 months vs. >12 months ago), and presence or absence of domestic cattle grazing. Reference sites were in an adjacent protected area (PA). We also recorded bare ground, vegetation cover, and vegetation height. Grasshopper abundance significantly benefitted from annual burning, cattle grazing, short grass, and when the last fire was <12 months prior to sampling. Fire frequency was the only disturbance with a significant effect on grasshopper species composition, but without significantly affecting species richness. In the PA, heterogeneity of dispersion was smaller in annually burned firebreaks than in sites with longer fire‐return intervals, which points to homogenisation of resident grasshopper assemblages. Although most grasshopper species favoured recently burned or grazed grassland, some preferred low or no disturbance. This illustrates a considerable range of habitat preferences in the grasshopper assemblage. Management recommendation: Burning and grazing at moderate levels should be integral to local landscape management, as these impacts benefit grasshoppers in grassland ENs. Some areas should be left undisturbed to create a mosaic of different successional stages at the landscape spatial scale, providing diverse habitat for a wide range of species.

show abstract

Section: Time Since Last Firecontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Positive effects of burning and cattle grazing on grasshopper diversity

Joubert

Pryke

Samways

2016

Insect Conserv Diversity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In a small-scale study of formerly grazed Culm grasslands subjected to burning, there was increased Orthoptera abundance (density 29X greater on burned plots than on unburned replicates) in the post-burn year (Gardiner et al 2005), as in the studies of Samways (1994) and Bieringer (2002). It is likely that mesophilous species such as C. parallelus, which overwinter as egg pods in the soil, may escape the main destructive impact of winter burning.…”

Section: The Effect Of Grazingmentioning

confidence: 93%

Grazing and Orthoptera: a review

Gardiner¹

2018

JOR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Orthoptera are an important biological component of grasslands as a crucial link in the food chain. Grazing, either by wild animals or livestock for human food production, exerts considerable influence on the Orthoptera of grasslands. For example, grazing prevents succession of open grasslands to scrub and forest, creates heterogeneity in sward height, and provides patches of bare earth through the action of livestock hooves breaking the vegetative cover. Grazing may also interact with other forms of grassland management such as burning to produce quite complex interactions which vary greatly between regions and Orthoptera species. Threats to grassland Orthoptera include overgrazing; conversely, abandonment of grazing can lead to the loss of open habitats vital to many species. It is important to have ungrazed areas to provide refuges for species negatively affected by grazing. Rotational management -moving domestic livestock between different pastures -will also allow a range of sward structures to develop over a landscape. The over-arching principle for grazing management should be to establish a heterogeneous sward with a range of sward heights and bare earth for oviposition/basking. In more extensive systems, patches of scrub can form habitat of woody vegetation for species such as bush crickets. The greatest diversity of habitats should provide the highest species richness.

show abstract

“…Over the longer term, biomass of large insects, including some (but not all) grasshoppers, may respond significantly to post‐burn grass regrowth (Whelan and Main , Anderson et al. , Bieringer ), affecting the omnivorous–insectivorous small mammals in this system as well (Bergstrom ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Searching for cover: soil enrichment and herbivore exclusion, not fire, enhance African savanna small‐mammal abundance

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large mammalian herbivores (LMH) are known to suppress populations of small mammals in African savanna ecosystems; whether this suppression is driven by depletion of nutrients and food resources, or of cover, is poorly understood. Cattle management creates scattered, persistent, nutrient‐enriched areas (glades). Similarly, prescribed fire may enhance forage nutrition of burned patches. Both enriched microhabitats attract wild and domestic LMH and are fertilized by their wastes, but removal of vegetative cover by LMH or fire may negate the benefits of enhanced nutrition to risk‐averse small‐mammal species or individuals. We used replicated LMH exclusion experiments on red sandy loam and black‐cotton clay soils, and a multi‐scale burn experiment on black cotton to examine abundance, diversity, and biomass of small mammals across sites varying in vegetation cover and enrichment. Small‐mammal species composition varied dramatically among habitats. Species diversity and density on red sands were roughly double that of black cotton soils. Small‐mammal densities and diversity were dramatically greater inside LMH exclosures; maximal densities occurred inside fenced, nutrient‐rich, tall‐grass glades. Small‐mammal density was similar between black‐cotton burn sites and unburned matrix habitat but was significantly greater on unburned than burned patches within the burn sites. Burned patches contained less grassy cover up to 50 months post‐burn, although vegetation differences diminished following significant rains. Mice captured on burned patches traveled farther but were not heavier than mice captured on unburned patches. Small mammals were nearly 20‐fold more abundant on totally fenced glades than matrix habitat on both soils and ninefold more abundant on fenced bushland (non‐glades) on red sands. Unfenced glades supported intermediate densities in black cotton but lower densities in red sands because of close cropping by LMH. Total small‐mammal biomass tended to be greater on red sands (though mean body mass was greater on black cotton for two common species), within exclosures, and on glades. Both the grass rat and pouched mouse reached maximal densities within glade LMH exclosures on both soils. This and the positive association of small‐mammal densities with grass height and dead‐stem density suggest loss of cover is a primary driver of large‐herbivore suppression of certain savanna small mammals.

show abstract

Response of Orthoptera species (Tettigoniidae and Acrididae) to wildfires in a Central European dry grassland

Cited by 12 publications

References 13 publications

Positive effects of burning and cattle grazing on grasshopper diversity

Positive effects of burning and cattle grazing on grasshopper diversity

Grazing and Orthoptera: a review

Searching for cover: soil enrichment and herbivore exclusion, not fire, enhance African savanna small‐mammal abundance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About