Effects of uncut refuge management on grassland arthropods – A systematic review
European semi-natural grasslands are often managed by mowing. These habitats have species-rich fauna, but mowing threatens arthropods’ abundance and diversity. Leaving some part of the vegetation uncut can play a crucial role in their survival during and after mowing. The effectiveness of such uncut...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424005857 |
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| author | Kitti Révész Róbert Gallé Jean-Yves Humbert Péter Batáry |
| author_facet | Kitti Révész Róbert Gallé Jean-Yves Humbert Péter Batáry |
| author_sort | Kitti Révész |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | European semi-natural grasslands are often managed by mowing. These habitats have species-rich fauna, but mowing threatens arthropods’ abundance and diversity. Leaving some part of the vegetation uncut can play a crucial role in their survival during and after mowing. The effectiveness of such uncut refuges for the conservation of arthropods has been studied, but the results are contradicting and partial. We conducted a systematic review of 22 articles encompassing 66 observations to synthesise existing knowledge. Overall, 69 % of abundance observation data and 64 % of species richness observation data showed positive responses to uncut refuges. In comparison, the remaining observations showed negative (25 % for abundance, 26 % for species richness) and neutral (6 % for abundance, 10 % for species richness) effects. We found several potential drivers behind these patterns, including refuge shape – most commonly strips or blocks – and refuge proportion, typically 10–25 % of the area. Results varied across study designs, which often involved sampling arthropods within and outside the refuges, before or after mowing, with or without independent control meadows. Additionally, research primarily focused on orthopterans with no negative responses to refuges, whereas other taxa received less attention. Although further research is needed on the assumed moderators (e.g. grassland habitat type, landscape structure) and understudied grassland taxa, based on the existing knowledge, we recommend leaving refuges where arthropod conservation is concerned. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6c0008ed42744ea99550c812045f8714 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-6c0008ed42744ea99550c812045f87142025-01-23T05:26:58ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942025-01-0157e03381Effects of uncut refuge management on grassland arthropods – A systematic reviewKitti Révész0Róbert Gallé1Jean-Yves Humbert2Péter Batáry3‘Lendület’ Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary; Doctoral School of Biological Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gödöllő, Hungary; Corresponding author at: ‘Lendület’ Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary.‘Lendület’ Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary; MTA-SZTE 'Momentum' Applied Ecology Research Group, Szeged, HungaryDivision of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland‘Lendület’ Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary; Faunistics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Agriculture, Ecotrophology, and Landscape Development, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Bernburg, GermanyEuropean semi-natural grasslands are often managed by mowing. These habitats have species-rich fauna, but mowing threatens arthropods’ abundance and diversity. Leaving some part of the vegetation uncut can play a crucial role in their survival during and after mowing. The effectiveness of such uncut refuges for the conservation of arthropods has been studied, but the results are contradicting and partial. We conducted a systematic review of 22 articles encompassing 66 observations to synthesise existing knowledge. Overall, 69 % of abundance observation data and 64 % of species richness observation data showed positive responses to uncut refuges. In comparison, the remaining observations showed negative (25 % for abundance, 26 % for species richness) and neutral (6 % for abundance, 10 % for species richness) effects. We found several potential drivers behind these patterns, including refuge shape – most commonly strips or blocks – and refuge proportion, typically 10–25 % of the area. Results varied across study designs, which often involved sampling arthropods within and outside the refuges, before or after mowing, with or without independent control meadows. Additionally, research primarily focused on orthopterans with no negative responses to refuges, whereas other taxa received less attention. Although further research is needed on the assumed moderators (e.g. grassland habitat type, landscape structure) and understudied grassland taxa, based on the existing knowledge, we recommend leaving refuges where arthropod conservation is concerned.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424005857AbundanceAgri-environment schemeConservation managementHay meadowInsectMowing |
| spellingShingle | Kitti Révész Róbert Gallé Jean-Yves Humbert Péter Batáry Effects of uncut refuge management on grassland arthropods – A systematic review Global Ecology and Conservation Abundance Agri-environment scheme Conservation management Hay meadow Insect Mowing |
| title | Effects of uncut refuge management on grassland arthropods – A systematic review |
| title_full | Effects of uncut refuge management on grassland arthropods – A systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Effects of uncut refuge management on grassland arthropods – A systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of uncut refuge management on grassland arthropods – A systematic review |
| title_short | Effects of uncut refuge management on grassland arthropods – A systematic review |
| title_sort | effects of uncut refuge management on grassland arthropods a systematic review |
| topic | Abundance Agri-environment scheme Conservation management Hay meadow Insect Mowing |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424005857 |
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