Delayed mowing promotes planthoppers, leafhoppers and spiders in extensively managed meadows

Buri, Pierrick; Humbert, Jean-Yves; Stańska, Marzena; Hajdamowicz, Izabela; Tran, Eléonore; Entling, Martin H.; Arlettaz, Raphaël (2016). Delayed mowing promotes planthoppers, leafhoppers and spiders in extensively managed meadows. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 9(6), pp. 536-545. Blackwell 10.1111/icad.12186

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1. Biodiversity-rich grasslands have been severely impacted by agricultural
intensification. Although agri-environment schemes (AES) have been
launched partly to combat grassland biodiversity erosion, they could neither
halt nor revert it, and this calls for alternative solutions.
2. We carried out controlled experiments on the effects of three mowing
regimes on the arthropod biodiversity of extensively managed meadows, testing
whether alternative mowing regimes can improve AES effectiveness: (i) mowing
according to the Swiss AES prescriptions, i.e. first cut not before 15 June (control
meadows); (ii) first cut not before 15 July (delayed mowing); (iii) refuge left
uncut on 10–20% of the meadow area, otherwise first cut not before 15 June.
Leaf- and planthoppers (Auchenorrhyncha) and spiders (Araneae) were sampled
before and after mowing during 3 years, which enabled testing for immediate
(within season) and carry-over (1 year to the next) effects.
3. Regarding immediate effects, Auchenorrhyncha and Araneae increased in
abundance under the delayed mowing regime, with densities 3.5 and 1.8 times
higher, respectively, than in control meadows. Furthermore, a positive carryover
effect was detected for Araneae density under the delayed mowing regime.
The refuge mowing regime had no effect on abundance. Finally, no statistically
significant changes were detected for species richness and diversity (Shannon
index) after 2 years of manipulations.
4. We conclude that delaying the first cut in extensively managed meadows
promotes these two taxa. It could be easily implemented by slight adjustments
of the extant grassland AES.

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