Grassland Leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) as Indicators of Habitat Condition – A Comparison of between-site and between-year differences in Assemblage Composition

The Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers) show great potential as indicators of grassland habitat quality, which would make them useful as a conservation tool. However, they are known to have labile populations. The relative importance of site identity and the year of sampling in the composition of leafhopp...

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Published inJournal of insect conservation Vol. 9; no. 4; pp. 299 - 307
Main Authors Hollier, J. A., Maczey, N., Masters, G. J., Mortimer, S. R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer Nature B.V 01.12.2005
Subjects
Animal populations
Auchenorrhyncha
Birds
Environmental quality
Environmental restoration
Grasslands
Habitats
Hemiptera
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Summary:The Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers) show great potential as indicators of grassland habitat quality, which would make them useful as a conservation tool. However, they are known to have labile populations. The relative importance of site identity and the year of sampling in the composition of leafhopper assemblages on chalk grassland are assessed for two sets of sites sampled twice. The study included a total of 95 sites (one set of 54, the other of 41), and demonstrated that for both sets the vegetation community and geographical location had high explanatory value, while the influence of year was small. The conclusion is that, notwithstanding population fluctuations, the leafhopper assemblages are a good indicator of habitat quality, and represent a potentially valuable tool in grassland conservation and restoration.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
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ISSN:1366-638X
1572-9753
DOI:10.1007/s10841-005-8821-z