Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae) in the Mediterranean Mountains of the Southern Balkans
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JournalJournal of Mediterranean of Mediterranean Ecology Ecology vol. 16, vol. 2018: 16, 67-79 2018 © Firma Effe Publisher, Reggio Emilia, Italy Effects of changing grazing systems on the threatened genus Peripodisma (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae) in the Mediterranean mountains of the southern Balkans Michèle Lemonnier-Darcemont1, Vassiliki Kati2, Luc Willemse3, Christian Darcemont4 1 Corresponding author. G.E.E.M., P.O. Box 60, 48060 Parga, Greece. Email: [email protected] 2 Depart. of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece. E-mail: [email protected] 3 Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. Email: luc.willemse@ naturalis.nl 4 G.E.E.M., P.O. Box 60, 48060 Parga, Greece. Email: [email protected] Keywords: Albanian mountain grasshopper, biodiversity, calcareous grassland, cattle grazing, Cika mountain grasshopper, endemic, IUCN Red List, land-use intensification, linear indices of abundance, species specializa- tion index, Tymphi mountain grasshopper. Abstract This study examined the effects of pastoralism, including cattle grazing, on populations of three species of locally endemic and rare Peripodisma grasshoppers in calcareous grassland mountain habitats of northwestern Greece and southern Albania. The three Peripodisma species are on the IUCN Red List as near threatened, endangered, and critically endangered species, and cattle grazing had been identified as a key threat to the species. The study sites represented 70% of the known locations of Peripodisma genus. The region was historically grazed by local breeds of nomadic sheep and goats, but grazing practices had recently shifted to cattle grazing from non-local cattle breeds. We found a clear relationship between local abundance of Peripodisma and overall richness of Orthoptera communities. Orthoptera richness decreased at sites with medium to high impacts of livestock grazing. Cattle grazing had significant adverse effects on overall Orthoptera species richness and on Peripodisma abundance. Further studies are urgently needed to gather more data and information to guide grazing management and conservation planning that will provide a more balanced coexistence between livestock and Orthoptera, especially for the rare Peripodisma species that are in dire need of conservation management. Introduction as sheep and goats are secured at night and shepherded on mountain pastures during the day. Additional Pastoral farming in the Mediterranean mountains of changes in pastoralism have emerged in recent decades, Greece and Albania has existed since antiquity. Over particularly in Greece, due to links with the European time, pastoralism has shaped mountain landscapes Economic Community. Non-local cattle breeds have and vegetation structure (Kizos, 2008) and, as a con- been introduced, resulting in only 0.64% of native cat- sequence, the invertebrate biodiversity. Over the last tle breeds (Legakis & Kapari, 2013), due to the new century, nomadic herding has drastically decreased, requirement for production of cattle meat (Hadjigeor- evolving into movements of livestock across elevation giou, 2011). Over this period, there has been a strong gradients, with the purpose of ensuring forage avail- decrease in the number of farm holdings, with only a ability during summer (Blanc, 1963; Hadjigeorgiou, slight decline of overall livestock numbers, resulting in 2011). Grazing is usually conducted at a low intensity, concentrations of herds (Eurostats, 2012). The effects 67 Journal of Mediterranean Ecology vol. 16, 2018 of changes from both overgrazing and undergrazing onnier-Darcemont et al., 2015). on vegetation and biodiversity have been object of All three species are montane specialists that oc- investigation (Gkoltsiou, 2011; Hadjigeorgiou, 2011). cur above 1100 m elevation, and have similar habitat The relationships between vegetation and Orthoptera preferences (Figure 1). Peripodisma inhabit grasslands diversity have previously been demonstrated (Ander- of Mediterranean montane and alti-Mediterranean son 1964, Kati 2012), and the positive or negative im- vegetation zones, with Cika and Albanian mountain pacts of grazing on Orthoptera species and populations grasshoppers known to favour rock or scree slopes have been studied across a variety of ecosystems and (Lemonnier-Darcemont & Darcemont, 2015a, 2015b). grazing systems (Smith, 1940; Morris, 1969; Holmes They share similar life cycle characteristics, with egg et al., 1979; Capinera & Sechrist, 1982; Shiyomi et hatching occurring at the beginning of May, and adults al., 1982; Grayson & Hassall, 1985; Voisin, 1986; appearing in July through mid-October. These species Gueguen-Genest & Gueguen, 1987; Louveaux et al., have been reported to be threatened by domestic live- 1996; Kruess & Tscharntke, 2002; Gonseth, 2010). stock grazing, particularly cattle grazing, resulting in Our study investigates the effects of grazing on Or- declining population trends for the Cika and Tymphi thoptera. Compared to other animal groups, sampling mountain grasshoppers (Chobanov et al., 2016; Wil- of Orthoptera is relatively simple and identification of lemse et al., 2016). The population trend of the Alba- most species is easy. Orthoptera are distributed among nian mountain grasshopper is unknown (Chobanov et various trophic levels of the food webs (carnivores, om- al., 2016). nivores, herbivores and scavengers), and such trophic relationships are highly dependent upon environmental Given that domestic livestock grazing manage- conditions (e.g., elevation, microclimate, vegetation ment has recently changed across the region, and the structure). Orthoptera provide excellent indicators of general impression of a strong and quick reduction of ecological conditions (Guegen, 1989, 1990, 1996; Kati biodiversity in impacted areas, the aim of this study is et al., 2004). 1. To assess whether the local overall score charac- We focused on grasshoppers of the genus Peripo- terising the richness of orthopteran communities disma, which are restricted to the Pindos Mountain provides a reliable indication of the abundance Range of Greece and Albania, and were reported to be status of Peripodisma populations on these southern threatened by domestic livestock grazing (Hochkirch et Balkan mountains. al., 2016). All three species of Peripodisma (P. tymphii, 2. To identify parameters of pastoralism that have P. llofizii, P. ceraunii) are included in the IUCN Red negative ecological effects on the endemic genus List (Hochkirch et al., 2016). The Tymphi mountain Peripodisma. grasshopper Peripodisma tymphii Willemse, 1972 is an endangered species (Willemse et al., 2016a) due to its fragmented distribution pattern on seven mountain Methods ranges of south-eastern Europe. The distribution of the Tymphi mountain grasshopper covers the northern The taxonomic names and classifications used cor- Pindos massif in Greece (Willemse, 1972, 1984; Wil- respond to the updated Orthoptera Species File Online lemse & Willemse, 2008), and the adjacent mountains (Cigliano et al. 2018). of southern Albania (Lemonnier-Darcemont et al., 2015; Lemonnier-Darcemont & Darcemont, 2016). The Sites and sampling Albanian mountain grasshopper Peripodisma llofizii Sampling of orthopteran communities, including Lemonnier-Darcemont & Darcemont, 2015 is listed as Peripodisma species, was conducted in Greece and Near Threatened (Chobanov et al. 2016), and is known Albania at nine of the thirteen locations where Peripo- of only four locations in the mountains of the southern disma species are known to occur (Figure 2), which Albania region of Gjirokaster (Lemonnier-Darcemont represent 70 % of the known localities for the genus. & Darcemont, 2015a; Lemonnier-Darcemont et al., Table 1 provides locality and environmental informa- 2015). The Cika mountain grasshopper Peripodisma tion for each of the nine sampling sites. Our sampling ceraunii Lemonnier-Darcemont & Darcemont, 2015 sites included each of the three type localities where is a Critically Endangered species (Chobanov et al., the three species were discovered and described from, 2016) with a very restricted distribution, only known two additional sites on the border between Greece and from the Cika mountain in Vlore district of Albania Albania, and four additional sites that were chosen (Lemonnier-Darcemont & Darcemont, 2015b; Lem- randomly among the remaining eight known sites. 68 Journal of Mediterranean Ecology vol. 16, 2018 Figure 1. Example of Peripodisma habitat of subalpine calcareous grassland (Albania, study site 6). Figure 2. Map of known localities and studied sites. Light green 0-600 m, light brown 600-1200 m, brown 1200-1800 m, dark brown > 1800 m. Markers 1 to 9: studied sites. Triangles: known sites of P. llofizii not studied. Circles: known sites of P. tymphii not studied. 69 Journal of Mediterranean Ecology vol. 16, 2018 Table 1: Information on sites sampled for this study. Peripodisma Locality Country Latitude Longitude Elevation Habitat species Calcareous dry grassland of the 1 Mt Llofiz, Gjirokastër county Albania 40°12’56.6” 020°09’52.8” 1720 m Mediterranean mountane stage with P. llofizii Juniperus sp. and Astragalus sp. Calcareous dry grassland (on rocky ground) of the Mediterranean mountane 2 Mt Lunxhërisë, Gjirokastër county Albania 40°10’26.6” 020°12’24.2” 1800 m P. llofizii stage with Arctostaphylos uva-ursi and Astragalus sp. Calcareous dry grassland (on scree) of the Oro-Mediterranean stage with Juniperus 3 Mt Qores,