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Authors:
Slodowicz Daniel , Auberson Cécile , Ferreira de Carvalho Elizabete , Angeleri Romain, StaĔska Marzena, Humbert Jean-Yves , Arlettaz Raphaël
Publication Date:
2021
Abstract/Summary:
Extensively managed grasslands in temperate biomes can harbor a big variety of plant and invertebrate species. Yet, they have suffered from a strong decline in species diversity in the past decades mainly due to agricultural intensification. Not surprisingly, grassland restoration through active seed addition has thus gained in importance. Soil disturbance such as ploughing is often necessary to facilitate the establishment of the seeded plant species. However, the effect of these disturbances on ground dwelling invertebrates has only rarely been studied within the framework of active meadow restoration. The aim of this project was to fill this research gap by studying the short-term effect of different active restoration methods of speciespoor meadows on ground dwelling beetles and spiders. These restoration methods differed either in their soil disturbance intensity (i.e. ploughing, harrowing) or their seeding method (i.e. hay transfer, sowing of different seed mixtures). The experiment was carried out at field scale, i.e. one restoration method per meadow. The experiment was setup in 12 regions in the Swiss lowlands in summer 2019, with a total of 48 restored grasslands. We used pitfall traps to collect data on beetle and spider abundance and species richness before restoration in 2018 and one year after in 2020. We have found that ground dwelling invertebrates recovered, i.e. no change in abundance or species richness, within the first year irrespective of the soil disturbance methods. These results indicate that the established meadow restoration methods are not harmful to ground dwelling invertebrates, while being favorable for plant diversity.
Resource Type:
Conference Presentation, SER2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Source:
SER2021