Direct and indirect effects of ski run management on alpine Orthoptera

Abstract

Alpine landscapes are heavily influenced by ski run management, which can have severe impacts on alpine biodiversity. To assess these impacts on alpine Orthoptera, we compared species richness and species abundance in 41 plot pairs on ski runs and adjacent off-slope control plots in three ski resorts in Austria and Germany. A mixed modelling approach was used to assess the impacts of ski run preparation, artificial snowmaking and environmental variables such as altitude, cover of dwarf shrubs and the application of fertilizer. Ski run plots showed a significantly lower species richness and number of individuals than control plots. Moreover, artificial snow led to a further decrease in species number. Hierarchical variance partitioning revealed that Orthoptera community composition is best predicted by environmental variables indirectly related to ski run management (fertilization, cover of dwarf shrubs) and to altitude. Only one out of five species significantly decreased in abundance after artificial snow-making. Other species were more sensitive to fertilizing and altitude. Dwarf shrubs were negatively associated with ski run management but positively associated with abundance of three species and species richness. Our data provide evidence for both direct and indirect consequences of ski runs and artificial snow-making on alpine Orthoptera. Overall, Orthoptera communities are suitable indicators for human-induced changes in alpine environments. In particular, a shift towards generalist species such as Chorthippus parallelus along with a decrease in typical alpine species gives cause for concern as this implies a homogenisation of biodiversity owing to ski run management.

The Effects of Winter Recreation on Alpine and Subalpine Fauna: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The negative effects of disturbances arising from winter recreation (such as decreased species richness or increased levels of stress hormones) were most frequently reported for mammals, birds and arthropods. These taxonomic groups are relatively well studied in the available literature and some species (and groups) have even been suggested as suitable bioindicators for alpine and subalpine ecosystems, such as the Black Grouse ( Tetrao tetrix ; [44], [45]), syrphid flies [14], [46] and grasshoppers [33], [47]. As the impact of skiing is more likely to be negative on these prospective bioindicators, there is the potential that the effects of the ski industry are more extensive in alpine and subalpine environments than has been documented to date.…”

The impacts of ski resorts on reptiles: a natural experiment

“…invertebrates) than exotic‐dominated habitats (Valentine, Roberts & Schwarzkopf, ; Bateman & Ostoja, ). Indeed, invertebrate assemblages can be altered dramatically by vegetation alterations arising from ski run construction (Strong, Dickert & Bell, ; Keßler et al ., ). Thus, the re‐seeding practices occurring in our study area may also affect invertebrate assemblages.…”

The effect of slope level and hydroseeding formula on the growth of Cyperus brevifolius and Pueraria javanica seedlings

“…The use of the right composition is necessary considering that the application of hydroseeding is very wide, even for wetland ecosystems (Tilley and John 2013). The success of hydroseeding applications can support the formation of new ecosystems that attract Arthropods, such as grasshoppers and ground-beetles (Kessler et al 2012;Negro et al 2013). This is necessary to ensure for ecosystem cycle.…”