Anthropogenic disturbances alter the conservation value of karst dolines

Abstract

Dolines are depressions in karst landscapes that are of high value for conservation, providing habitats and supporting species not found in the surrounding landscape. This is due to their high microhabitat diversity and ability to decouple microclimate from regional climate changes, making them potential refugia for biodiversity. Nevertheless, local anthropogenic disturbances have had considerable impact on the species composition and vegetation structure of many dolines. Here we investigate the conservation value of dolines in three European karst areas, where different levels and types of anthropogenic disturbances have been shaping the vegetation for centuries, using the number of plant species that are cool-adapted, moist-adapted and of high conservation importance (i.e. vulnerable species) as indicators. We found that anthropogenic disturbances generally have a negative impact, reducing the number of vulnerable species supported by dolines. However, more cooladapted and moist-adapted species were found in some dolines planted with non-native Picea abies than in less disturbed dolines, indicating that anthropogenic disturbances can also have positive consequences for biodiversity. We conclude that anthropogenic disturbances alter the capacity of dolines to support vulnerable species, and that this will impact survival of species in landscapes under global warming. In this context, the effects of various disturbances on species composition and diversity need to carefully considered to determine the best conservation and/or management options.

Microclimate and habitat heterogeneity as important drivers of soil Collembola in a karst collapse doline in the temperate zone

“…This undoubtedly stresses the importance of including small‐scale, low‐elevation microclimatic gradients in biodiversity conservation programs and of understanding the ability of these habitats to sustain global climate changes (Bátori, Vojtkó, Keppel, et al, 2019; Dobrowski, 2011; Raschmanová, Miklisová, et al, 2018; Vilisics et al, 2011). Most probably, such responses like changes in the local soil Collembola communities may be expected, given a sufficiently long time, since soil faunal communities possess the capacity of high resistance to climate change, having high resilience towards soil warming in a long‐term perspective (>20 years; e.g., Alatalo et al, 2015; Greenslade & Slatyer, 2017; Holmstrup et al, 2018).…”

“…Several recent studies have focused on the ecology (Bátori, Vojtkó, Maák, et al, 2019; Raschmanová et al, 2008, 2018; Vilisics et al, 2011), diversity (Bátori, Vojtkó, Maák, et al, 2019; Kováč et al, 2014; Papáč et al, 2019; Raschmanová, Miklisová, et al, 2018; Su et al, 2017) and ecophysiology (Raschmanová et al, 2015, 2017, 2018) of soil fauna. Landscape microclimatic gradients also present particular opportunities for long‐term studies of biotic communities and are a proxy for global climate change (Badino, 2004; Bátori, Vojtkó, Keppel, et al, 2019; Mammola, Cardoso, et al, 2019; Raschmanová, Miklisová, et al, 2018); study of microclimatic gradients can provide potential predictions as to how a changing climate will affect the functional biodiversity of these ecosystems and how these responses may influence ecosystem functions. On the other hand, the cold stenothermic environments of karstic ecosystems harbor relatively stable habitats, considerably buffered from the regional environmental change and disturbance, and should be given priority attention in conservation activities (Bátori, Vojtkó, Keppel, et al, 2019; Chen et al, 2018; Gaál et al, 2015; Kováč, 2018; Liu et al, 2019; Mammola, Piano, et al, 2019; Perşoiu & Lauritzen, 2018; Yao et al, 2016).…”

River embankments mitigate the loss of grassland biodiversity in agricultural landscapes

“…A number of studies suggest that secondary habitats can act as refuges for native, endangered or vulnerable species, thus they may play key roles in the maintenance of biodiversity in transformed landscapes (e.g., in agricultural landscapes and settlements; Hobbs, Higgs, & Harris, 2009). For instance, city walls may provide valuable habitats for ferns (Láníková & Lososová, 2009), highway stormwater ponds for aquatic macroinvertebrates (Le Viol, Mocq, Julliard, & Kerbiriou, 2009), graveyards for orchids (Löki, Deák, Lukács, & Molnár, 2019;Molnár et al, 2017), kurgans (i.e., burial mounds) for steppe species (Deák et al, 2016), roadside verges for endangered lizard-orchids (Fekete et al, 2017) and plantation forests for vulnerable plant species (Bátori et al, 2020;Süveges et al, 2019). Further studies show that linear anthropogenic structures (e.g., ditches, hedgerows, river embankments and road verges) have the potential to form dispersal corridors not only for the native biota but also for many invasive species (Corbit, Marks, & Gardescu, 1999;Fekete, Mesterházy, Valkó, & Molnár, 2018;Francis, Chadwick, & Turbelin, 2019).…”

Karstic Microrefugia Host Functionally Specific Ant Assemblages

“…However, changes to the biological environment (e.g., surrounding vegetation cover and forest height) caused by anthropogenic impacts (e.g., changes in forestry activity or in grazing/mowing regimes) may alter the species composition of dolines and their capacity to provide microrefugia for vulnerable species (cf. Liu et al, 2019;Bátori et al, 2020;Kermavnar et al, 2020). For instance, overgrazing is threatening the survival of vulnerable plants in the dolines of the Greek Archipelago (Egli et al, 1990).…”

“…The potential of different landscapes to maintain high habitat diversity largely depends on the bedrock type and its physical and chemical properties. For instance, dissolution processes on limestone surfaces contribute to the formation of karst landscapes, covering nearly 20% of the Earth's land surface, and constituting one of the topographically most complex terrains (White et al, 1995;Culver, 2000;Bátori et al, 2020). These landscapes support several habitats, such as caves, limestone pavements, valleys, and enclosed depressions (dolines, sinkholes or tiankengs), where species composition and diversity vary with environmental heterogeneity (Whiteman et al, 2004;Bátori et al, 2009;Mammola et al, 2019).…”