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Orthopteran Diversity in Steep Slope Vineyards: The Role of Vineyard Type and Vegetation Management

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Our study evaluated the effects of vineyard abandonment and shrub encroachment and the value of active vineyard management for Orthoptera diversity. We investigated orthopterans in two different vineyard management types (vertically oriented and terraced vineyards) and in vineyard fa...

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Autores principales: Wersebeckmann, Vera, Biegerl, Carolin, Leyer, Ilona, Mody, Karsten
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9867116/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36662010
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects14010083
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author Wersebeckmann, Vera
Biegerl, Carolin
Leyer, Ilona
Mody, Karsten
author_facet Wersebeckmann, Vera
Biegerl, Carolin
Leyer, Ilona
Mody, Karsten
author_sort Wersebeckmann, Vera
collection PubMed
description SIMPLE SUMMARY: Our study evaluated the effects of vineyard abandonment and shrub encroachment and the value of active vineyard management for Orthoptera diversity. We investigated orthopterans in two different vineyard management types (vertically oriented and terraced vineyards) and in vineyard fallows in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley (UMRV) in Germany and determined the effects of local vegetation structures within vineyards and in the surrounding landscape. On the landscape and local scale, woody structures and vineyard abandonment reduced habitat quality, especially for open-adapted Orthoptera species. Management in vineyard inter-rows provided bare ground and supported heat- and open-adapted species while taller vegetation stands on terrace embankments enhanced Orthoptera species richness. We conclude that maintaining viticulture on steep slopes is significant for the preservation of open and herbaceous habitat structures and the conservation of associated Orthoptera species. ABSTRACT: The abandonment of traditional agricultural practices and subsequent succession are major threats to many open-adapted species and species-rich ecosystems. Viticulture on steep slopes has recently suffered from strong declines due to insufficient profitability, thus increasing the area of fallow land considerably. Changing cultivation systems from vertically oriented to modern vineyard terraces offers an opportunity to maintain management economically viable and thus reduces further abandonment. Hillside parallel terraces favor mechanization, and their embankments offer large undisturbed areas that could provide valuable habitats. We investigated the effects of vineyard abandonment, different vineyard management types (vertically oriented vs. terraced), and local parameters on Orthoptera diversity in 45 study sites along the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany. Our results show that woody structures and vineyard abandonment reduced Orthoptera diversity at the local and landscape scale due to decreased habitat quality, especially for open-adapted species. In contrast, open inter-rows of actively managed vineyard types supported heat-adapted Caelifera species. On terrace embankments, extensive management and taller vegetation benefited Ensifera species, while short and mulched vegetation in vertically oriented vineyards favored the dominance of one single Caelifera species. Our results highlight the significance of maintaining viticultural management on steep slopes for the preservation of both open-adapted Orthoptera species and the cultural landscape.
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spelling pubmed-98671162023-01-22 Orthopteran Diversity in Steep Slope Vineyards: The Role of Vineyard Type and Vegetation Management Wersebeckmann, Vera Biegerl, Carolin Leyer, Ilona Mody, Karsten Insects Article SIMPLE SUMMARY: Our study evaluated the effects of vineyard abandonment and shrub encroachment and the value of active vineyard management for Orthoptera diversity. We investigated orthopterans in two different vineyard management types (vertically oriented and terraced vineyards) and in vineyard fallows in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley (UMRV) in Germany and determined the effects of local vegetation structures within vineyards and in the surrounding landscape. On the landscape and local scale, woody structures and vineyard abandonment reduced habitat quality, especially for open-adapted Orthoptera species. Management in vineyard inter-rows provided bare ground and supported heat- and open-adapted species while taller vegetation stands on terrace embankments enhanced Orthoptera species richness. We conclude that maintaining viticulture on steep slopes is significant for the preservation of open and herbaceous habitat structures and the conservation of associated Orthoptera species. ABSTRACT: The abandonment of traditional agricultural practices and subsequent succession are major threats to many open-adapted species and species-rich ecosystems. Viticulture on steep slopes has recently suffered from strong declines due to insufficient profitability, thus increasing the area of fallow land considerably. Changing cultivation systems from vertically oriented to modern vineyard terraces offers an opportunity to maintain management economically viable and thus reduces further abandonment. Hillside parallel terraces favor mechanization, and their embankments offer large undisturbed areas that could provide valuable habitats. We investigated the effects of vineyard abandonment, different vineyard management types (vertically oriented vs. terraced), and local parameters on Orthoptera diversity in 45 study sites along the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany. Our results show that woody structures and vineyard abandonment reduced Orthoptera diversity at the local and landscape scale due to decreased habitat quality, especially for open-adapted species. In contrast, open inter-rows of actively managed vineyard types supported heat-adapted Caelifera species. On terrace embankments, extensive management and taller vegetation benefited Ensifera species, while short and mulched vegetation in vertically oriented vineyards favored the dominance of one single Caelifera species. Our results highlight the significance of maintaining viticultural management on steep slopes for the preservation of both open-adapted Orthoptera species and the cultural landscape. MDPI 2023-01-13 /pmc/articles/PMC9867116/ /pubmed/36662010 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects14010083 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Wersebeckmann, Vera
Biegerl, Carolin
Leyer, Ilona
Mody, Karsten
Orthopteran Diversity in Steep Slope Vineyards: The Role of Vineyard Type and Vegetation Management
title Orthopteran Diversity in Steep Slope Vineyards: The Role of Vineyard Type and Vegetation Management
title_full Orthopteran Diversity in Steep Slope Vineyards: The Role of Vineyard Type and Vegetation Management
title_fullStr Orthopteran Diversity in Steep Slope Vineyards: The Role of Vineyard Type and Vegetation Management
title_full_unstemmed Orthopteran Diversity in Steep Slope Vineyards: The Role of Vineyard Type and Vegetation Management
title_short Orthopteran Diversity in Steep Slope Vineyards: The Role of Vineyard Type and Vegetation Management
title_sort orthopteran diversity in steep slope vineyards: the role of vineyard type and vegetation management
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9867116/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36662010
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects14010083
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