Dataset Information

The Orthoptera of Castro Verde Special Protection Area (Southern Portugal): new data and conservation value.

ABSTRACT: With the increasing awareness of the need for Orthoptera conservation, greater efforts must be gathered to implement specific monitoring schemes. Despite recent surveys, little is known about Portuguese Orthoptera populations. This study was performed in 2014 and 2015 mainly in Castro Verde Special Protection Area (SPA), southern Portugal, and is the first Orthoptera inventory conducted in the area. A total of 35 Orthoptera species was recorded, with two new species reported for Portugal. We provide species' habitat occurrences within the protected area and use information on the conservation status and the Iberian distribution of each documented species to discuss the importance of Castro Verde SPA for Orthoptera conservation. The data presented here sheds new light on Castro Verde SPA biodiversity and emphasizes the inclusion of this area in the conservation of Orthoptera diversity, particularly in the protection of threatened endemic species.

SUBMITTER: Pina S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5672665 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The Orthoptera of Castro Verde Special Protection Area (Southern Portugal): new data and conservation value.

Pina Sílvia S Vasconcelos Sasha S Reino Luís L Santana Joana J Beja Pedro P Sánchez-Oliver Juan S JS Catry Inês I Moreira Francisco F Ferreira Sónia S

ZooKeys 20170817 691

With the increasing awareness of the need for Orthoptera conservation, greater efforts must be gathered to implement specific monitoring schemes. Despite recent surveys, little is known about Portuguese Orthoptera populations. This study was performed in 2014 and 2015 mainly in Castro Verde Special Protection Area (SPA), southern Portugal, and is the first Orthoptera inventory conducted in the area. A total of 35 Orthoptera species was recorded, with two new species reported for Portugal. We pro ...[more]

PMID: 29200922

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Project description:Numerous bird species, often rare or endangered, rely on the presence of standing and downed deadwood for shelter, nesting, and foraging. Habitat quality was evaluated on the basis of deadwood volume, the density of large standing deadwood, and the space filling index (SFI). The SFI reflects the degree of space filling of the bottom layers taking into account tree trunks, seedlings, saplings, ground vegetation, stumps, and downed deadwood. Analysis encompassed all special protection areas (SPAs) in Poland (a total of 107 SPAs containing 7974 sample plots monitored under the National Forest Inventory). An additional in-depth analysis was conducted for 30 SPAs with the greatest share of forest habitats. The studied indicators varied substantially both between and within individual SPAs, with deadwood volume ranging from 1.3 to 50.5 m3 ha-1 (mean of 9.0 m3 ha-1) and the density of large standing deadwood (diameter at breast height ≥ 30 cm) from 0.1 to 16.0 ind ha-1 (mean of 2.2 ind ha-1). These values were relatively low compared to the density of living trees with corresponding dimensions (111 ind ha-1). SFI analysis indicated high or very high space filling of the bottom forest layers on 14-56% of sample plots in a given SPA. The presence of deadwood was found to be significantly positively affected by SPA location in the mountains, a greater proportion of sites with higher fertility, a greater share of forest area under strict protection, as well as higher stand volume within a given SPA. The correlation between deadwood volume and the density of birds (primary and secondary cavity nesters) in individual SPAs was positive (R = 0.60). As compared to lowland areas, SPAs in mountain areas are generally characterized by high stand volumes, a greater density of large living trees, and a greater amount of diverse deadwood. In those areas conservation measures should involve continuous monitoring and diagnosing of any problems associated with the populations of individual bird species; focused efforts should be implemented to support those species that exhibit unfavorable population trends. In most lowland SPAs measures aimed at the improvement of site conditions for birds must be more extensive than in the mountains, with a low abundance of dead trees (especially large ones). These parameters can be improved by retaining some senescent stands in managed forests until their natural death and implementing a strict protection regime in areas of high conservation value.

Dataset Information

The Orthoptera of Castro Verde Special Protection Area (Southern Portugal): new data and conservation value.

Publications

The Orthoptera of Castro Verde Special Protection Area (Southern Portugal): new data and conservation value.

Similar Datasets

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