Mid- and long-term responses of land snail communities to the intensification of mountain hay meadows management.

ABSTRACT: Species-rich semi-natural grasslands are impacted by the severe land-use changes that are affecting mountain regions, compromising their high biodiversity value. In particular, sprinkler irrigation and increased fertilisation stimulate vegetation growth, modifying and homogenising habitat conditions for ground-dwelling invertebrates. Among them, land snails have been largely understudied despite their commonness and vulnerability to small-scale habitat alteration. This study investigated the mid- and long-term responses of land snail communities to management intensification of montane and subalpine hay meadows. Mid-term effects were studied using a randomised block design experiment, mimicking an intensification gradient with different levels of irrigation and fertilisation applied during

SUBMITTER: Martinez-De Leon G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8845342 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature