Ecological response hides behind the species abundance distribution: Community response to low-intensity disturbance in managed grasslands.

摘要: Land-use and management are disturbance factors that have diverse effects on community composition structure. In traditional rural grasslands, such as meadows pastures, low-intensity is maintained to enhance biodiversity. Maintenance of road verges, in turn, creates habitat, which may complement grasslands. To evaluate the effect insect communities, we characterized species abundance distributions (SAD) for Carabidae, Formicidae, Heteroptera three grassland types, differed management: meadows, verges. The shape SAD was estimated with parameters: decay rate, dominance, rarity. We compared among types tested environmental heterogeneity (plant richness) intensity (trampling pastures) SADs. SADs did not differ but taxonomic groups instead. Abundance rate dominance were larger rarity smaller, than Carabidae Heteroptera. For window-trapped Heteroptera, increased increasing plant richness. trampling pastures. Although remained largely unchanged, identity dominant tended vary within types. Our study shows a given group, similar across habitat disturbances resulting from different management. This suggests respond primarily thus could be best used monitoring communities strong gradients. Because can inherently SADs, taxon-specific undisturbed must empirically documented before an indicator change. changes type another, alone adequate tool.