Direct and indirect effects of land-use intensification on ant communities in temperate grasslands.

ABSTRACT: Land-use intensification is a major driver of local species extinction and homogenization. Temperate grasslands, managed at low intensities over centuries harbored a high species diversity, which is increasingly threatened by the management intensification over the last decades. This includes key taxa like ants. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to a decrease in ant abundance and species richness as well as changes in functional community composition are not well understood. We sampled ants on 110 grassland plots in three regions in Germany. The sampled grasslands are used as meadows or pastures, being mown, grazed or fertilized at different intensities. We analyzed the effect of the different aspects of land use on ant species richness, functional trait spaces, and community comp

SUBMITTER: Heuss L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6468076 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature