Refuge strips are crucial for the conservation of the diverse arthropod fauna of meadows
Abstract
Mowing is one of the most widespread grassland management practices in Europe and, when applied correctly, can be a sufficient tool for conserving high grassland diversity. Uniform mowing of large grassland areas in a short period of time causes the direct mortality of arthropods, reduces microhabitat diversity and homogenises microclimatic conditions, which also has negative effects on arthropods. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of uncut refuge strips for arthropod conservation. We used sweep nets and pitfall traps for sampling grasshoppers, true bugs, carabids and spiders. We analysed the species richness and abundance of the studied taxa using linear mixed effects models. We found significantly higher species richness and abundance of arthropods on uncut plots than on mowed plots. This effect was stronger for vegetation-dwelling taxa, especially herbivores, than for ground-dwelling predators. Our results confirm that uncut refuge strips support diverse arthropod assemblages with high densities, and play a key role in the conservation of grassland arthropods.
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