Grassland intensification dramatically impacts grasshoppers: Experimental evidence for direct and indirect effects of fertilisation and irrigation

Humbert, Jean-Yves; Delley, Sarah; Arlettaz, Raphaël (2021). Grassland intensification dramatically impacts grasshoppers: Experimental evidence for direct and indirect effects of fertilisation and irrigation. Agriculture, ecosystems and environment, 314, p. 107412. Elsevier 10.1016/j.agee.2021.107412

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European mountain hay meadows are hosting an exceptionally rich biodiversity. They are currently threatened by both land abandonment and farming intensification via aerial irrigation and slurry application. The consequences
of mountain grassland intensification on arthropods are still poorly documented, which is a serious handicap to proposing ecologically-friendly management guidance. Six experimental treatments mimicking a gradient of management intensity (including irrigation, fertilisation and various combinations thereof) were
initiated in 2010 at twelve montane and subalpine Swiss meadow sites. In 2013, we sampled orthopterans to assess the influence of management practice on that taxonomic group. In parallel, the changes in vegetation height and ambient temperature (at 10 cm above ground level) induced by the intensification process were quantified in order to better appraise the underlying mechanisms. Intensification had a negative impact on Caelifera (grasshoppers), with decreases in densities and species richness reaching as much as 70% and 50%,
respectively, in the most intensively managed treatment plots. Intensification furthermore led to a marked increase in mean vegetation height and a cooling of ambient temperature by up to 4.2 ◦C. Such microhabitat and microclimate alterations are likely to affect Caelifera development, in particular thermophilous species. In contrast, Ensifera (bushcrickets) densities and species richness showed no significant response to our experimental manipulations. Finally, the application of irrigation by sprinklers alone had limited impact on both orthopterans
and meadow microclimate. We conclude that orthopterans, in particular Caelifera, are fairly sensitive to grassland management intensification: fertilisation should be avoided in focal areas for biodiversity conservation.

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