Molehills as important larval habitats for the grizzled skipper, Pyrgus malvae (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), in calcareous grasslands

Streitberger, Merle; Fartmann, Thomas

doi:10.14411/eje.2013.087

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…Changes in plant communities commonly cascaded through to animal communities. Engineer‐driven physical changes to the small‐scale topography of landscapes positively affected plant communities by prolonging survival by creating physical barriers against browsing, fire, or trapping seeds (James & Eldridge, ), and improving nutrient content of soils (Streitberger & Fartmann, ). Consumers of those plants therefore benefited indirectly from ecosystem engineering.…”

Section: What Are the Impacts Of Ecosystem Engineers In Terrestrial Hmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global database and “state of the field” review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals

Coggan

Hayward

Gibb

2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

118

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Ecosystem engineers have been widely studied for terrestrial systems, but global trends in research encompassing the range of taxa and functions have not previously been synthesised. We reviewed contemporary understanding of engineer fauna in terrestrial habitats and assessed the methods used to document patterns and processes, asking: (a) which species act as ecosystem engineers and with whom do they interact? (b) What are the impacts of ecosystem engineers in terrestrial habitats and how are they distributed? (c) What are the primary methods used to examine engineer effects and how have these developed over time? We considered the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in knowledge related to each of these questions and suggested a conceptual framework to delineate "significant impacts" of engineering interactions for all terrestrial animals. We collected peer-reviewed publications examining ecosystem engineer impacts and created a database of engineer species to assess experimental approaches and any additional covariates that influenced the magnitude of engineer impacts. One hundred and twenty-two species from 28 orders were identified as ecosystem engineers, performing five ecological functions. Burrowing mammals were the most researched group (27%). Half of all studies occurred in dry/arid habitats. Mensurative studies comparing sites with and without engineers (80%) were more common than manipulative studies (20%). These provided a broad framework for predicting engineer impacts upon abundance and species diversity. However, the roles of confounding factors, processes driving these patterns and the consequences of experimentally adjusting variables, such as engineer density, have been neglected. True spatial and temporal replication has also been limited, particularly for emerging studies of engineer reintroductions. Climate change and habitat modification will challenge the roles that engineers play in regulating ecosystems, and these will become important avenues for future research. We recommend future studies include simulation of engineer effects and experimental manipulation of engineer densities to determine the potential for ecological cascades through trophic and engineering pathways due to functional decline. We also recommend improving knowledge of long-term engineering effects and replication of engineer reintroductions across landscapes to better understand how large-scale ecological gradients alter the magnitude of engineering impacts.

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Section: What Are the Impacts Of Ecosystem Engineers In Terrestrial Hmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global database and “state of the field” review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals

Coggan

Hayward

Gibb

2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

118

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“…So far, microhabitat quality for P. malvae had only been determined in calcareous grassland (Brereton 1997;Krämer et al 2012;Streitberger and Fartmann 2013). VS_HP, as an indicator of food availability, was higher at occupied host plants.…”

Section: Microhabitat Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These might offer an added value in habitat management. Documented examples are still rare, but have been found in the abandoned pond meadows created by beaver (Castor canadensis) benefiting the butterfly Neonympha mitchellii francisci (Bartel et al 2010), ant mounds from Lasius flavus favouring the butterfly Hesperia comma (Streitberger and Fartmann 2016), and mounds created by mole (Talpa europaea) that offer suitable microhabitat for the butterfly Pyrgus malvae (Streitberger and Fartmann 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Information on the microhabitat requirements of P. malvae was predominantly collected in calcareous grassland habitats of Great Britain (Brereton 1997) and central Germany (Krämer et al 2012;Streitberger and Fartmann 2013) (Brereton 1997;Krämer et al 2012;WallisDeVries 2010). Besides calcareous grasslands, P. malvae also may occur as a characteristic species on heathlands (Brereton 1997), for which information on larval microhabitat characteristics has been lacking to date.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The influence of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on microhabitat quality for the endangered butterfly Pyrgus malvae in the Netherlands

2018

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The decline of open habitats in Europe, such as semi-natural grasslands and heathlands, has caused a general decline in biodiversity, which has been well documented for butterflies. Current conservation practices often involve grazing by domestic livestock to maintain suitable butterfly habitats. The extent to which wild ungulates may play a similar role remains largely unknown. Through their rooting activity, wild boar could be effective to reduce grass encroachment and restore pioneer microhabitats that are vital to many grassland insects in temperate climates. Here, we assessed the microhabitat requirements of Pyrgus malvae, an endangered butterfly of heathland and grassland habitats in the Netherlands, with special attention for the influence of wild boar rooting. To date, oviposition site selection of this species has concentrated on calcareous grasslands, whereas we also include heathlands. Overall, larval occupancy was higher in warm, open and sparsely vegetated microhabitats, which supports earlier findings. In heathland, microhabitat occupancy was positively affected by bryophyte and litter cover. In heath-grassland mosaic, microhabitat occupancy was also influenced by bryophyte and litter cover, but in addition low grass cover increased occupancy by favouring host plants. In grassland, only low grass cover and host plant cover determined microhabitat quality. Across all habitats, occupied microhabitats were characterized by lower vegetation as well as higher average daytime temperatures than unoccupied microhabitats. We discovered that wild boar play an important role in reducing grass cover by shallow rooting in grass patches, thereby increasing host plant availability. Hence, wild boar may have an added value in maintaining and restoring P. malvae microhabitats in grassland habitats in addition to grazing by domestic livestock.

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“…However, knowledge on the importance of mounds created by these species as habitats for other taxa is still rare. For the first time, Streitberger and Fartmann (2013) demonstrated the importance of molehills as a preferred larval habitat for the threatened butterfly species Pyrgus malvae. In the current study we focus on the oviposition site selection of Lycaena phlaeas (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of a mound-building ecosystem engineer for a grassland butterfly

Streitberger

Rose

Hermann³

et al. 2014

J Insect Conserv

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Both land use intensification and abandonment within grasslands lead to a homogenisation of vegetation structure. Therefore, specially structured microsites such as vegetation gaps with bare ground play an important role for species conservation within grasslands. Vegetation gaps are crucial for the establishment of low-competitive plant species and offer special microclimatic conditions essential for the development of the immature stages of many invertebrate species. The influence of small-scale soil disturbance in the form of mounds created by ecosystem engineers such as ants or moles on biodiversity is therefore of special scientific concern. The effects of mound-building species on plant species diversity have been extensively studied. However, knowledge on the significance of these species for the conservation of other animals is rare. In this study we analyse the importance of mounds created by the European mole (Talpa europaea) as an oviposition habitat for the small copper (Lycaena phlaeas) within Central European mesotrophic grasslands. Our study showed that host plants occurring at molehills were preferred for oviposition. Oviposition sites were characterised by an open vegetation structure with a high proportion of bare ground (with a mean coverage of about 50 %), a low cover of herbs and low-growing vegetation (mean height: 4.5 cm). Our study clearly illustrates the importance of small-scale soil disturbance for immature stages of L. phlaeas and the conservation of this species within mesotrophic grasslands. Mound-building ecosystem engineers, such as T. europaea, act as important substitutes for missing dynamics within mesotrophic grasslands by diversifying vegetation structure and creating small patches of bare soil.

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Molehills as important larval habitats for the grizzled skipper, Pyrgus malvae (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), in calcareous grasslands

Cited by 9 publications

References 32 publications

A global database and “state of the field” review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals

A global database and “state of the field” review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals

The influence of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on microhabitat quality for the endangered butterfly Pyrgus malvae in the Netherlands

The role of a mound-building ecosystem engineer for a grassland butterfly

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