Effects of timing and frequency of mowing on the threatened scarce large blue butterfly – A fine-scale experiment

Kőrösi, Ádám; Szentirmai, István; Batáry, Péter; Kövér, Szilvia; Örvössy, Noémi; Peregovits, László

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2014.06.019

Cited by 31 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Some studies have shown that most fauna may be removed when the grass is harvested but the regrowth is rapidly recolonized by species that have short life cycles and high reproductive rates (Purvis and Curry , Körösi et al. ). Mowing once a year in our study provides arthropod communities with a long recovery period, which may contribute to the higher diversity under mowing than grazing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Land use alters relationships of grassland productivity with plant and arthropod diversity in Inner Mongolian grassland

Wang

Tang

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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The threats of land‐use intensification to biodiversity have motivated considerable research directed toward understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF). Functional diversity is deemed a better indicator than species diversity to clarify the BEF relationships. However, most tests of the BEF relationship have been conducted in highly controlled plant communities, with terrestrial animal communities largely unexplored. Additionally, most BEF studies examined the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functions, with the effects of ecosystem functioning strength on biodiversity hardly considered. Based on a 6‐yr grassland experiment in the typical steppe region of Inner Mongolia, we examined the variation of taxonomic diversity (TD) and functional diversity (FD) of both plant and arthropod communities, and their relations with grassland productivity, across three land management types (moderate grazing, mowing, and enclosure). We aimed to clarify the interrelations among plant FD, arthropod FD, grassland productivity, and soil factors. We found the following: (1) Grassland under mowing performed best in terms of sustaining a high TD and FD of plants and arthropods compared to that under grazing and enclosure. (2) The relationships between plant and arthropod diversity and productivity varied with management types. Plant TD and FD were negatively related, whereas arthropod FD was positively related with productivity under enclosure; plant FD, but not arthropod FD, was positively related with productivity under grazing; arthropod FD, but not plant FD, was negatively related with productivity under mowing. (3) Grassland productivity was positively interrelated with plant FD, but not plant TD; and was negatively interrelated with arthropod TD, but not arthropod FD across different management types. The respective positive vs. negative bidirectional relationships of productivity with plant diversity vs. arthropod diversity, were majorly a consequence of divergent grazing/mowing effects on plant vs. arthropod diversity. The results indicate that grazing increases plant diversity, but decreases arthropod diversity, whereas fall mowing provides a management strategy for conservation of both trophic levels. These results also provide new insights into the effects of land‐use changes on biodiversity and ecosystem processes, and indicate the importance of incorporating the functional interrelations among different trophic groups in sustainable grassland management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also affects soil animal community negatively/positively depending on the timing and frequency of mowing (Körösi et al. ). Enclosure by fencing, which means ungrazed or under rest, is commonly used as a main means of restoring degraded grassland (Yan and Lu ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land use alters relationships of grassland productivity with plant and arthropod diversity in Inner Mongolian grassland

Wang

Tang

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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“…Partial mowing, a management practice that enhances P . nausithous densities, is beneficial for ant assemblages exploited by butterflies [87] and seems to be an effective measure for maintaining Phengaris butterflies [87–89] (but see [90]) and overall diversity of invertebrates [91]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative Contribution of Matrix Structure, Patch Resources and Management to the Local Densities of Two Large Blue Butterfly Species

et al. 2016

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The type of matrix, the landscape surrounding habitat patches, may determine the distribution and function of local populations. However, the matrix is often heterogeneous, and its various components may differentially contribute to metapopulation processes at different spatial scales, a phenomenon that has rarely been investigated. The aim of this study was to estimate the relative importance of matrix composition and spatial scale, habitat quality, and management intensity on the occurrence and density of local populations of two endangered large blue butterflies: Phengaris teleius and P. nausithous. Presence and abundance data were assessed over two years, 2011–12, in 100 local patches within two heterogeneous regions (near Kraków and Tarnów, southern Poland). The matrix composition was analyzed at eight spatial scales. We observed high occupancy rates in both species, regions and years. With the exception of area and isolation, almost all of the matrix components contributed to Phengaris sp. densities. The different matrix components acted at different spatial scales (grassland cover within 4 and 3 km, field cover within 0.4 and 0.3 km and water cover within 4 km radii for P. teleius and P. nausithous, respectively) and provided the highest independent contribution to the butterfly densities. Additionally, the effects of a 0.4 km radius of forest cover and a food plant cover on P. teleius, and a 1 km radius of settlement cover and management intensity on P. nausithous densities were observed. Contrary to former studies we conclude that the matrix heterogeneity and spatial scale rather than general matrix type are of relevance for densities of butterflies. Conservation strategies for these umbrella species should concentrate on maintaining habitat quality and managing matrix composition at the most appropriate spatial scales.

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“…spring or autumn mowing occupied an intermediate position in terms of the above parameters (Szépligeti et al 2016). A keystone species of nature conservation, Phengaris teleius (Bergsträsser) butterfly and its host plant, Sanguisorba officinalis, showed the highest density on the patch mown once a year in autumn (Kőrösi et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since 1990, due to economic considerations, once-a-year (MayJune) mowing became the typical way of management and abandonment became widespread as well (Babai et al 2015). Around 2000, mowing once-a-year in August-September was introduced on some valuable grasslands due to the prescriptions of the national park administration to protect butterfly species, such as Maculinea species (Kőrösi et al 2014). To understand the effect of the above listed management regimes on the plant and animal communities of meadows, Őrség National Park Directorate launched an experiment on four of its own meadows in 2007.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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Effects of timing and frequency of mowing on the threatened scarce large blue butterfly – A fine-scale experiment

Cited by 31 publications

References 44 publications

Land use alters relationships of grassland productivity with plant and arthropod diversity in Inner Mongolian grassland

Land use alters relationships of grassland productivity with plant and arthropod diversity in Inner Mongolian grassland

Relative Contribution of Matrix Structure, Patch Resources and Management to the Local Densities of Two Large Blue Butterfly Species

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

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