Prescribed burning and vegetation heterogeneity enhance predatory arthropod diversity in temperate dry grasslands

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62156489%3A43410%2F25%3A43927731" target="_blank" >RIV/62156489:43410/25:43927731 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-025-00409-9" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-025-00409-9</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s42408-025-00409-9" target="_blank" >10.1186/s42408-025-00409-9</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Prescribed burning and vegetation heterogeneity enhance predatory arthropod diversity in temperate dry grasslands

Original language description

Background: Temperate dry grasslands host diverse communities of predatory arthropods, yet their biodiversity is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation following the abandonment of traditional land-use practices. In many regions, restoring such practices is unfeasible or economically unsustainable, highlighting the need for an alternative, cost-effective, and ecologically sound management strategy. Prescribed burning has emerged as a promising tool to reduce accumulated biomass and limit shrub encroachment. However, scattered shrubs can also enhance habitat heterogeneity and buffer arthropods against climate extremes. Despite its growing use, the indirect effects of prescribed burning on invertebrate predators mediated through changes in vegetation structure remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined how prescribed burning, in combination with the presence of common hawthorn shrubs (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.), affects environmental conditions (i.e., litter cover and plant species richness) and the assemblages of spiders and ground beetles in temperate dry grasslands of the Dunajovice Hills National Nature Monument, Czech Republic. Predatory arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps across six sites, covering four treatments: burnt patches, burnt patches beneath hawthorn, control patches, and control patches beneath hawthorn. Results: We recorded 1703 spiders (107 species), 291 ground beetles (35 species), and 126 species of vascular plants. Burnt patches strongly favored xerothermophilous spider species, including several species of conservation concern. In contrast, burnt patches beneath hawthorns supported assemblages of moisture-habitat and shade-tolerant spider species, resulting in higher trait diversity (RaoQ). Control patches supported a greater proportion of shade-tolerant ground beetle species compared to burnt patches. Plant species richness was positively associated with spider species density, independent of treatment. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that prescribed burning can enhance predatory arthropod biodiversity in temperate dry grasslands, particularly when combined with the retention of scattered hawthorn shrubs. These results are directly applicable to land managers and conservation practitioners working in temperate, nutrient-poor dry grasslands, especially in regions where traditional land-use practices have declined. When applied in late winter, before peak arthropod activity, prescribed burning represents a cost-effective and ecologically viable management strategy for maintaining predatory arthropod diversity in both managed and abandoned dry grasslands.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

—

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Fire Ecology

ISSN

1933-9747

e-ISSN

1933-9747

Volume of the periodical

21

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

18

Pages from-to

73

UT code for WoS article

001613806500001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105021844583