TY - JOUR

T1 - Differential effect of grassland mowing on arthropod taxa

AU - Künast, Robert

AU - Weisser, Wolfgang W.

AU - Seibold, Sebastian

AU - Mayr, David

AU - Siegmüller, Nils

AU - Schneider, Iris

AU - Westenrieder, Martin

AU - Blüthgen, Nico

AU - Staab, Michael

AU - Meyer, Sebastian T.

AU - Achury, Rafael

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Ecological Entomology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Entomological Society.

PY - 2025/4

Y1 - 2025/4

N2 - Arthropods face a global decline attributed to habitat loss, climate change, pesticide use, and an intensification of land-use practices such as mowing. Studies on the effects of mowing on arthropod abundance showed conflicting results potentially due to multiple factors, including study design, grassland management, sampling method, and arthropod taxon studied. We conducted four studies in different grasslands, including intensively and extensively used agricultural and urban grasslands, utilising sweep netting, suction sampling, and pitfall traps. We compared the mowing responses of arthropod taxa between those studies at three different taxonomic resolutions (first-level overall arthropods, second-level orders, and third-level families and suborders). First, we discovered that mowing had a negative effect on overall arthropod abundance in all our studies (first level). Second, our four studies found that seven second- and third-level taxa showed only negative, four only positive, and four mixed positive and negative responses. Third, regarding taxonomic resolution, no third-level taxon reacted differently to mowing compared to the second-level taxon it belongs to. Our results indicate that for some taxa, mowing has a consistent negative (e.g. Diptera) or positive effects (e.g. Coleoptera). We suggest those groups have uniform phenological traits that make them especially vulnerable to mowing. For taxa showing mixed responses, we expect that study-dependent factors such as region, sampling method, and grassland management affect their response to mowing.

AB - Arthropods face a global decline attributed to habitat loss, climate change, pesticide use, and an intensification of land-use practices such as mowing. Studies on the effects of mowing on arthropod abundance showed conflicting results potentially due to multiple factors, including study design, grassland management, sampling method, and arthropod taxon studied. We conducted four studies in different grasslands, including intensively and extensively used agricultural and urban grasslands, utilising sweep netting, suction sampling, and pitfall traps. We compared the mowing responses of arthropod taxa between those studies at three different taxonomic resolutions (first-level overall arthropods, second-level orders, and third-level families and suborders). First, we discovered that mowing had a negative effect on overall arthropod abundance in all our studies (first level). Second, our four studies found that seven second- and third-level taxa showed only negative, four only positive, and four mixed positive and negative responses. Third, regarding taxonomic resolution, no third-level taxon reacted differently to mowing compared to the second-level taxon it belongs to. Our results indicate that for some taxa, mowing has a consistent negative (e.g. Diptera) or positive effects (e.g. Coleoptera). We suggest those groups have uniform phenological traits that make them especially vulnerable to mowing. For taxa showing mixed responses, we expect that study-dependent factors such as region, sampling method, and grassland management affect their response to mowing.

KW - biodiversity conservation

KW - habitat management

KW - insect populations

KW - land use management

KW - landscape management

KW - sampling methods

KW - taxonomic level

KW - Biology

KW - Ecosystems Research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85209667111&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/een.13400

DO - 10.1111/een.13400

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85209667111

VL - 50

SP - 288

EP - 298

JO - Ecological Entomology

JF - Ecological Entomology

SN - 0307-6946

IS - 2

ER -