Landscape woody features, local management and vegetation composition shape moth communities in extensively managed grasslands

Agricultural intensification has led to a dramatic impoverishment of biodiversity. Moths are not an exception: rapid declines of common and widespread species have been reported and it is still not clear which conservation measures should be applied to restore their populations. We investigated how much of the variation in moth assemblages inhabiting extensively managed meadows in a region of high-intensity agriculture is explained by surrounding woody landscape features, meadow management and vegetation composition, and which specific variables are the most influential. Results show that the percentage of forest and the length of hedgerows within a 250 m radius were especially important for forest macromoths, explaining 42% of variation in abundance and 23% of species richness, whereas meadow management played a relatively marginal role. The abundance of grassland macromoths was also positively influenced by the length of hedgerows in the landscape (combined with elevation it explained 10% of the variance), while it responded negatively to uncut refuge and to delayed mowing (7%). Regarding grassland macromoth species richness, the annual harvesting frequency was the main predictor (4%). In contrast, micromoth abundance was more influenced by meadow management, notably the date of the first cut (4%) and vegetation composition (8%, though not conclusive due to a single outlier), whereas landscape features explained nothing. Altogether, these results demonstrate the importance of both woody features within farmed landscapes and biodiversity-friendly meadow management for the maintenance of integral moth communities.

Automated summary

Agricultural intensification has caused a decline in biodiversity. This study examines the impact of landscape features and meadow management on moth assemblages in extensively managed meadows. Results show that woody landscape features and biodiversity-friendly meadow management are important for maintaining moth communities.