The classification of insect communities: Lessons from orthopteran assemblages of semi-dry calcareous grasslands in central Germany

Poniatowski, Dominik; Fartmann, Thomas

doi:10.14411/eje.2008.090

Cited by 56 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Species that were found to be dominant in our study (Pseudochorthippus parallelus, Roeseliana roeselii) were also found most characteristic in humid, intensely mown meadows by other authors in nearby regions of Europe (Gardiner et al 2002, Marini et al 2008, Poniatowski and Fartmann 2008. Our results confirmed that abundances of orthopteran assemblages are highly influenced by land use (Guido and Chemini 2000, Kruess and Tscharntke 2002, Knop et al 2006, Kenyeres and Cservenka 2014.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Effects of different mowing regimes on orthopterans of Central-European mesic hay meadows

Kenyeres¹,

Szentirmai²

2017

JOR

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Method, frequency and date of mowing influence the presence and population size of Orthoptera species, which show strong dependence on the vertical structure of grasslands. Responses of orthopteran assemblages to the effects of various mowing regimes applied to different parts of the same habitat are still not fully understood. In this study, we asked how different mowing regimes (mowing in May; mowing in September; mowing in May and September; abandonment of mowing) influence species richness, Shannon diversity and density of local orthopteran assemblages on a small spatial scale in Central European mesic hay meadows. Furthermore, the study aimed to determine the type of meadow management that is most suitable for preserving local orthopteran assemblages. The date of mowing had no significant overall effect on species richness, density or diversity of grasshoppers. However, grasshopper species richness and Shannon diversity were reduced immediately after mowing (in June sampling of sites mown in May), and rose later in the season. Grasshopper density was low on abandoned sites which were not mowed in the last ten years and there was a negative correlation between orthopteran density and vegetation height. Nymphs, on the other hand, showed elevated density just after mowing which was reduced later in the season. Life forms of the orthopteran assemblages showed dominance of pratinicol species. Silvicol species were found only in abandoned habitats, while arbusticol species were found only on abandoned patches and patches mown in September. Results showed that the long-term preservation of natural orthopteran assemblages in mesic hay meadows would benefit from landuse practices which are diversified spatially and temporally, as practiced in traditional extensive management regimes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Effects of different mowing regimes on orthopterans of Central-European mesic hay meadows

Kenyeres¹,

Szentirmai²

2017

JOR

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“…Kleukers et al, 2004;Simmons & Thomas, 2004). the species inhabits only a few habitat types such as heath, stands of Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench, and semidry calcareous grasslands (Marshall & Haes, 1988;Kleukers et al, 2004;Poniatowski & Fartmann, 2008. the species inhabits only a few habitat types such as heath, stands of Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench, and semidry calcareous grasslands (Marshall & Haes, 1988;Kleukers et al, 2004;Poniatowski & Fartmann, 2008.…”

Section: Model Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Metrioptera brachyptera shows high habitat specificity (Schouten et al, 2007), i.e. the species inhabits only a few habitat types such as heath, stands of Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench, and semidry calcareous grasslands (Marshall & Haes, 1988;Kleukers et al, 2004;Poniatowski & Fartmann, 2008. As in most bush-cricket species, densities of M. brachyptera are generally low and vary between 0.1 and 3.8 individuals/10 m 2 (Ingrisch & Köhler, 1998).…”

Section: Model Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Focusing on species with high habitat specificity is of particular importance, because these species often live in highly isolated populations and are thus greatly affected by fragmentation (Eichel & Fartmann, 2008;Bauerfeind et al, 2009;Brückmann et al, 2010). One of these species is the bush cricket Metrioptera brachyptera L., which is typical of threatened habitats such as heathlands and semi-dry calcareous grasslands (Marshall & Haes, 1988;Kleukers et al, 2004;Poniatowski & Fartmann, 2008. In contrast to its sibling species Metrioptera roeselii Hagenbach, which is regularly long-winged (Simmons & Thomas, 2004;Gardiner, 2009;Poniatowski & Fartmann, 2011b), the long-winged form of M. brachyptera is very rare.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dispersal capability in a habitat specialist bush cricket: the role of population density and habitat moisture

Poniatowski

Fartmann

2011

Ecological Entomology

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1. In fragmented landscapes many insect species depend on a regular exchange of individuals between subpopulations to ensure the persistence of the population. Thus, the ability to disperse is of particular relevance.2. However, in some insect species mobility is not a fixed trait. Hence, knowing the causes of phenotypic plasticity is of great importance when evaluating whether a species is able to survive in fragmented landscapes or not.3. A multi-year field study was conducted to identify possible causes of macroptery in the wing-dimorphic habitat specialist Metrioptera brachyptera L. and to quantify its dispersal capability (% macropters). Therefore, 746 individuals of the species were caught on 135 plots. Additionally, environmental variables that possibly induce the development of macropters (population density and habitat moisture) were recorded.4. Dispersal capability of M. brachyptera was very low. Less than 3% were long-winged. The statistical analysis revealed that the proportion of long-winged M. brachyptera was strongly correlated with high bush-cricket densities and not with habitat moisture. 5. The low dispersal capability of M. brachyptera leads to the conclusion that individual exchange between isolated populations is limited or even impossible. Habitat specialists, like M. brachyptera, may thus be unable to respond to rapid changes in the availability of suitable habitats by dispersing, and hence may be especially dependent on habitat management activities that promote the long-term stability of existing habitat patches.

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“…Orthoptera (Ensifera and Caelifera) contain such umbrella species. In general, Orthoptera are a suitable insect group for monitoring terrestrial ecosystems (Poniatowski and Fartmann 2008). They take an important position in food webs and are sensitive to environmental changes such as grazing and abandonment (Curry 1994;Báldi and Kisbenedek 1997;Fartmann and Mattes 1997;Schirmel et al 2010a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation management of coastal dunes for Orthoptera has to consider oviposition and nymphal preferences

2011

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Dune and heathland ecosystems can harbour a multitude of specialized insect species. To assess the habitat quality of these ecosystems, the presence of specialized insect species may act as a useful indicator. The Orthoptera species Myrmeleotettix maculatus, Decticus verrucivorus, and Platycleis albopunctata present such umbrella species. Because knowledge of oviposition and nymphal habitats of these species is insufficient, we conducted a combined study consisting of an outdoor oviposition experiment and a field survey analyzing nymphal habitat preferences during summer 2009 on the Baltic island of Hiddensee, Germany. The oviposition experiment showed, that all three species mostly avoid oviposition under lichens (= mature grey dunes). M. maculatus preferred bare ground for oviposition, D. verrucivorus favoured both bare ground and mosses, and P. albopunctata laid most eggs into mosses. Young nymphs of both M. maculatus and P. albopunctata preferred initial grey dunes with a high proportion of bare ground and moss-rich grey dunes. Old nymphs were related to moss-rich and lichen-rich grey dunes with more dense vegetation. Based on our results, early seral stages of dune succession with bare ground and mosses as keystone structures are crucial for the conservation of the three studied umbrella species. Because old nymphs and adults additionally require more dense grey dune vegetation or adjacent heath stands, practical dune and heathland management measures should aim to maintain a mosaic-like pattern of different grey dune and dwarf-shrub vegetation stands.

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The classification of insect communities: Lessons from orthopteran assemblages of semi-dry calcareous grasslands in central Germany

Cited by 56 publications

References 45 publications

Effects of different mowing regimes on orthopterans of Central-European mesic hay meadows

Effects of different mowing regimes on orthopterans of Central-European mesic hay meadows

Dispersal capability in a habitat specialist bush cricket: the role of population density and habitat moisture

Conservation management of coastal dunes for Orthoptera has to consider oviposition and nymphal preferences

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