Journal
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
Volume 30, Issue 4, Pages 1101-1117Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10531-021-02135-5
Keywords
Biodiversity conservation; Forest edge; Land-use; Slovakia; Vel'ka Fatra Mts; Western Carpathians
Funding
- Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic [1/0639/17]
- Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA) [1/0639/17]
- projects of Cultural and Educational Grant Agency (KEGA) [005PU-4/2019, 016UK-4/2019]
- projects of Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVV) project [APVV-15-0270, APVV-19-0319]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The study found that the number of harvestmen was highest in forest habitats, lowest in meadows, and species diversity was greater in forest edges. Harvestmen epigeic activity-density was positively correlated with tree canopy cover and negatively correlated with the cover of herbaceous layer.
The positive effects of habitat heterogeneity on biodiversity are well established, but it is unclear how the diversity of less frequently studied but ecologically important taxa such as harvestmen (Opiliones) may vary across habitat boundaries generated by fine-scale traditional land-use. We investigated how harvestmen community metrics (composition, abundance, and diversity) varied across forest-meadow ecotones in a protected and naturally highly biodiverse karst region where biodiversity conservation plays an important role. We sampled harvestmen across forest edges adjacent to hay meadows in the Vel'ka Fatra Mts. (Central Slovakia) during two vegetation seasons using pitfall traps. In total, 13 species from 4 families were collected. The total number of captured harvestmen was greatest in forests and lowest in meadows and species composition varied between these two habitats (with forest edges forming a transitional community). Species diversity (exponential of Shannon's H ') was marginally greater within forest edges compared to forest and meadow habitats. Harvestmen epigeic activity-density (an abundance proxy) was correlated positively with tree canopy cover, and negatively with the cover of herbaceous layer. Our findings have implications for biodiversity conservation as they highlight the importance of forest habitats for the conservation of understudied taxa such as harvestmen in heterogenous landscapes modified by humans.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available