Species Richness Responses to Structural or Compositional Habitat Diversity between and within Grassland Patches: A Multi-Taxon Approach

Habitat diversity positively influences species richness (SR) across multiple taxa, but each taxon responds to different aspects of habitat diversity. In Hortobágy National Park, Hungary, a study found that the wet-dry gradient (compositional habitat diversity at the between-patch scale) was primarily linked to SR in orthopterans, ground-dwelling arthropods, and all animals combined. Within patches, plant association richness (compositional habitat diversity) affected vegetation-dwelling arthropods, while vegetation height (structural habitat diversity) influenced ground-dwelling arthropods and birds. Patch area and management practices also played significant roles in SR for specific taxa. Despite these positive relationships, no consistent pattern emerged when pooling data across all taxa, highlighting the complexity of detecting general habitat diversity-SR relationships. The findings underscore the need for targeted management strategies to conserve biodiversity in complex landscapes.

Lengyel, S., Déri, E., & Magura, T. (2016). Species Richness Responses to Structural or Compositional Habitat Diversity between and within Grassland Patches: A Multi-Taxon Approach. Plos One, 11(2), e0149662. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0149662