Simple tools for the evaluation of protected areas for the conservation of grasshoppers

Matenaar, Daniela; Bazelet, Corinna S.; Hochkirch, Axel

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.09.023

Cited by 41 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In the tallgrass prairie of North America, bison grazing was an important determinant of grasshopper assemblage composition, species richness, and abundance (Joern, 2004(Joern, , 2005Jonas & Joern, 2007). Similar findings were reported for grasshoppers in South Africa (Samways, 1990;Matenaar et al, 2015). Similar findings were reported for grasshoppers in South Africa (Samways, 1990;Matenaar et al, 2015).…”

Section: Domestic Cattle Grazingsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Furthermore, anthropogenic fire was identified as a threat to members of this family in the fynbos biome (Matenaar et al, 2014), while mowing excluded L. obtusifrons from certain areas in the grassland biome (Chambers & Samways, 1998). Nevertheless, it is of note that the abundance of wingless grasshopper species was regarded as an indicator of conservation value in the adjacent Eastern Cape province (Matenaar et al, 2015). The other flightless grasshopper species (E. maius) was recorded only once in unburned grassland.…”

Section: Time Since Last Firementioning

confidence: 99%

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Positive effects of burning and cattle grazing on grasshopper diversity

Joubert

Pryke

Samways

2016

Insect Conserv Diversity

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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.

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Section: Domestic Cattle Grazingsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Time Since Last Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Positive effects of burning and cattle grazing on grasshopper diversity

Joubert

Pryke

Samways

2016

Insect Conserv Diversity

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“…Seasonal canopy closure was estimated with a spherical densitometer as above. We estimated shrub height within a gridded 1‐m 2 quadrat at each centroid to the nearest 5 cm (Matenaar, Bazelet, & Hochkirch, ; Warren et al, ). As cover provided by forbs was seasonally variable, we separately estimated the height of forbs within the plot using the same methodology (Matenaar et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We estimated shrub height within a gridded 1‐m 2 quadrat at each centroid to the nearest 5 cm (Matenaar, Bazelet, & Hochkirch, ; Warren et al, ). As cover provided by forbs was seasonally variable, we separately estimated the height of forbs within the plot using the same methodology (Matenaar et al, ). The proportion cover of herbaceous graminoid (e.g., grasses, sedges, and rushes), shrub, and forb vegetation within each gridded 1‐m 2 quadrat was visually estimated to the nearest 1%.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competition alters seasonal resource selection and promotes use of invasive shrubs by an imperiled native cottontail

Cheeseman

Ryan

Whipps

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Many ecosystems face multiple invaders, and interactions among invasive and native species may complicate conservation efforts for imperiled species. Examination of fine‐scale resource selection can be used to detect patterns in habitat selection resulting from species interactions and assess the value of specific resources, including invasive plants, to wildlife. We used animal location data with mixed‐effects resource selection models to examine seasonal competitive interactions and species‐specific selection for forage and cover resources by an imperiled native lagomorph, the New England cottontail Sylvilagus transitionalis and its nonnative competitor, the eastern cottontail S. floridanus in the eastern Hudson Valley, NY. We found evidence that resource selection by New England cottontails depended on the relative prevalence of eastern cottontails to New England cottontails. Where eastern cottontails were less prevalent New England cottontail selected for resources characteristic of early successional shrublands. Where eastern cottontails were more prevalent, New England cottontails selected for resources characteristic of later successional shrublands. New England cottontail use of certain invasive shrubs depended on the prevalence of eastern cottontails relative to New England cottontails, suggesting response to invasive plants is confounded by interactions with a nonnative competitor. Our results further emphasize the need for conservation efforts to consider invasive management within the ecosystem context. We demonstrate the utility of resource selection studies to assist in this regard by exploring competitive interactions in the absence of removal studies, while simultaneously assessing the impact of habitat components such as invasive vegetation on species of conservation concern. Synthesis and applications Resource selection studies can be directly applied to inform ongoing species conservation where multiple invaders are present or where species interactions influence resource selection. Fine‐scale assessments of resource selection, similar to those presented here, can be used to selectively manage habitat to benefit desired species within the ecosystem context.

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“…The fauna of the Cape Floristic Region, though not less unique, has not been investigated as intensely as the flora, especially research on invertebrate diversity remains still scarce [5]. Recent evidence suggests that invertebrate diversity and endemism in the Cape Floristic Region might be comparable to the pattern found in plants [5, 6]. The Cape Floristic Region also maintains a variety of endemic families, subfamilies and genera, suggesting that it provided refugia also over a longer time-span.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A preliminary phylogeny of the South African Lentulidae

2016

Self Cite

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BackgroundThe grasshopper family Lentulidae is endemic to eastern and southern Africa, with its center of diversity situated in South Africa, the highest diversity being found in the Cape Floristic Region, which is one of the global biodiversity hotspots. The family consists of 35 genera sorted in two subfamilies. This study provides first insights into the phylogeny of Lentulidae. Two mitochondrial genes (12S and NDS) were sequenced and the phylogeny was inferred through Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference.ResultsOur results indicate that the current classification into the subfamilies Lentulinae and Shelforditinae may be incorrect as Uvarovidium, Leatettix (Shelforditinae) and Devylderia (Lentulinae) clustered together in one main clade, while Betiscoides, Basutacris and Gymnidium (all Lentulinae) formed the second main clade. The genera Uvarovidium and Leatettix, which had been assigned to the Acrididae (subfamily Hemiacridinae) in the past, grouped within the Lentulidae, confirming their current assignment to this family. The East African Usambilla group is likely to represent a sister clade to the south African Lentula and Eremidium. Diversification patterns in the genus Devylderia and Betiscoides suggest a higher number of species than currently known.ConclusionsOur phylogeny is not in line with the current systematics of Lentulidae, suggesting that a broader sampling and a study of the genitalia would be useful to clarify the taxonomy. Furthermore, some genera (particularly Betiscoides and Devylderia) are in need of taxonomic revision, as the number of species within these genera is likely to be higher than the current taxonomy suggests.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s41065-015-0005-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Simple tools for the evaluation of protected areas for the conservation of grasshoppers

Cited by 41 publications

References 40 publications

Positive effects of burning and cattle grazing on grasshopper diversity

Positive effects of burning and cattle grazing on grasshopper diversity

Competition alters seasonal resource selection and promotes use of invasive shrubs by an imperiled native cottontail

A preliminary phylogeny of the South African Lentulidae

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