The effects of varied grazing management on epigeal spiders, harvestmen and pseudoscorpions of Nardus stricta grassland in upland Scotland

Dennis, Peter; Young, Mark R.; Bentley, Christopher

doi:10.1016/s0167-8809(00)00263-2

Cited by 108 publications

(108 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This could be related to increased prey availability and to tall and more complex vegetation structures benefiting web-building species. Different grazing intensities did not further affect spider abundance in three seminatural grasslands (Dennis et al, 2001;WallisDeVries et al, 2007;Dennis et al, 2008), whereas spider abundance progressively declined with each increase in stocking rate in an intensively grazed sown pasture (Hutchinson and King, 1980), where the reduction of habitat as stocking rate increased up to 30 sheep per ha was an obvious factor. Lepidoptera benefited from low or zero grazing intensities (Table 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

Scohier

Dumont

2012

Animal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Grasslands being used in sheep farming systems are managed under a variety of agricultural production, recreational and conservational objectives. Although sheep grazing is rarely considered the best method for delivering conservation objectives in seminatural temperate grasslands, the literature does not provide unequivocal evidence on the impact of sheep grazing on pasture biodiversity. Our aim was therefore to review evidence of the impacts of stocking rate, grazing period and soil fertility on plant communities and arthropod populations in both mesotrophic grasslands typical of agriculturally improved areas and in native plant communities. We therefore conducted a literature search of articles published up to the end of the year 2010 using 'sheep' and 'grazing' as keywords, together with variables describing grassland management, plant community structure or arthropod taxa. The filtering process led to the selection of 48 articles, with 42 included in the stocking rate dataset, 9 in the grazing period dataset and 10 in the soil fertility dataset. The meta-analysis did not reveal any significant trends for plant species richness or plant community evenness along a wide stocking rate gradient. However, we found frequent shifts in functional groups or plant species abundance that could be explained by the functional properties of the plants in the community. The meta-analysis confirmed that increasing soil fertility decreased plant species richness. Despite the very limited dataset, plant species richness was significantly greater in autumn-grazed pastures than in ungrazed areas, which suggests that choosing an appropriate grazing period would be a promising option for preserving biodiversity in sheep farming systems. Qualitative review indicated that low grazing intensity had positive effects on Orthoptera, Hemiptera (especially phytophagous Auchenorrhyncha) and, despite a diverse range of feeding strategies, for the species richness of Coleoptera. Lepidoptera, which were favoured by more abundant flowering plants, also benefited from low grazing intensities. Spider abundance and species richness were higher in ungrazed than in grazed pastures. In contrast, there are insufficient published studies to draw any firm conclusions on the benefits of late grazing or stopping fertilization on insect diversity, and no grounds for including any of this information in decision support tools at this stage.Keywords: biodiversity, grazing period, insect, stocking rate, soil fertility ImplicationsThere is a general trend toward a gradual intensification of ruminant production to meet the increasing demand for livestock products (Bouwman et al., 2005), which logically raises major concerns over the environmental consequences involved. Grassland intensification entails higher livestock densities and fertilizer application rates to increase soil productivity, which negatively affects the diversity of resident plant communities. Grasslands are being managed under a variety of agricultural production and conservation objectives;...

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

Scohier

Dumont

2012

Animal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While the calcareous grassland itself is recognised as a priority habitat for conservation and targeted by conservation management, the value of patches of limestone heath and acid grassland in the grassland matrix is often overlooked, and not targeted by management, despite the former being included under Annex 1 of the EC Habitats Directive (Joint Nature Conservation Community 2013). Such habitats outside of the calcareous grassland matrix are known to support distinct plant and animal assemblages (Dennis et al 2001;Littlewood et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat associations of epigeal spiders in upland calcareous grassland landscapes: the importance for conservation

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Upland calcareous grassland landscapes are typically comprised of a matrix of calcareous grassland, acid grassland and limestone heath plant communities. This matrix of habitats is produced by a combination of underlying geology, climate and management. These landscapes are typically managed through grazing, with management targeted to maintain particular plant communities in the calcareous grassland habitat, whilst patches of acid grassland and limestone heath are not targeted by conservation management. The biodiversity value of acid grassland and limestone heath patches within the calcareous grassland matrix are unknown. This study provides the first assessment of their biodiversity value by examining aspects of epigeal spider diversity supported by these non-target habitat patches in comparison to calcareous grassland. Spiders were sampled in each habitat from April to August 2014 using pitfall traps across three upland regions in Great Britain. Spider species assemblages were distinct between limestone heath and both grassland types. Distinction in species assemblages are likely due to differences in vegetation structure and microclimate, e.g., humidity, degree of shade. Each habitat type supported several rare species (e.g., Jacksonella falconeri, Agyneta subtilis) revealing the contribution Communicated by David Hawksworth. Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/ s10531-017-1488-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. to spider fauna. The distinct spider species assemblage and presence of rare species in limestone heath patches demonstrate their importance in the upland calcareous grassland matrix. This study highlights the value of monitoring biodiversity in non-target habitats within a habitat matrix alongside those that are actively targeted by management.

show abstract

“…Increased arthropods in grass dominated habitats had been associated with increased 329 complexity of plant architecture (Gibson et al, 1992;Dennis et al, 2001), and the 330 increase of vegetation height (Morris and Plant, 1983;Dennis et al, 1997) and 331 heterogeneity (Dennis et al 1998;Vickery et al, 2001). Specifically, the number of 332 herbivore insects increased when the nutritional quality of salt marsh plants improved as 333 a result of higher nutrient loading increased (Vince et al 1981).…”

Section: Rush-tyrant (Tachuris Rubrigastra) Wren-like Rushbird (Phlementioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between anthropogenic sewage discharge, marsh structure and bird assemblages in an SW Atlantic saltmarsh

Cardoni

Isacch

Fanjul

et al. 2011

Marine Environmental Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of varied grazing management on epigeal spiders, harvestmen and pseudoscorpions of Nardus stricta grassland in upland Scotland

Cited by 108 publications

References 22 publications

How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

Habitat associations of epigeal spiders in upland calcareous grassland landscapes: the importance for conservation

Relationship between anthropogenic sewage discharge, marsh structure and bird assemblages in an SW Atlantic saltmarsh

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About