Abstract
AbstractType and intensity of land‐use vary in space and time and strongly contribute to changes in richness and composition of species communities. In this study, we examined land snail communities in forests and grasslands in three regions of Germany. We aimed to quantify the extent to which snail density, diversity, and community composition in forests and grasslands are determined by (1) land‐use intensity, (2) abiotic drivers and (3) biotic substrates, and (4) whether these effects are consistent across regions. In total, we collected 15,607 snail individuals belonging to 71 species and analyzed both direct and indirect effects using structural equation modeling. Snail densities and their local diversity varied across regions and between forest and grassland habitats within a region albeit with contrasting trends. Community composition also differed among regions—more strongly in forests than in grasslands—and each habitat had unique species (18 in forests, 21 in grasslands). In general, the direct impact of land‐use on snail density, diversity, and community structure was on average nine (forests) and seven (grasslands) times lower than the impact of abiotic drivers and biotic substrates which both affected snail assemblages about equally. However, land‐use factors had indirect effects on snail responses through abiotic variables such as soil moisture and soil pH. Furthermore, land‐use factors also had indirect effects via changing biotic substrates, such as plant cover in grasslands and deadwood cover in forests. Our results show that land snails strongly respond to environmental gradients and add an important indicator taxon to the current evidence of land‐use impacts, highlighting the complexity of direct and indirect effects via biotic and abiotic drivers across regions in Central Europe.
Highlights
Habitat conversion, degradation, and habitat fragmentation by intensive land-use can reduce biodiversity on small- and large-scale levels affecting different groups of organisms at different trophic levels (Newbold et al 2015)
Snail densities and their local diversity varied across regions and between forest and grassland habitats within a region albeit with contrasting trends
Our results show that land snails strongly respond to environmental gradients and add an important indicator taxon to the current evidence of landuse impacts, highlighting the complexity of direct and indirect effects via biotic and abiotic drivers across regions in Central Europe
Summary
Degradation, and habitat fragmentation by intensive land-use can reduce biodiversity on small- and large-scale levels affecting different groups of organisms at different trophic levels (Newbold et al 2015). Intensive mowing in grasslands or wood harvesting in forests affects vegetation characteristics and—intentionally or unintentionally—influences plant composition and abiotic factors like soil moisture, humidity, or temperature (Stohlgren et al 1998, Poschlod et al 2005, Socher et al 2012). These changes in abiotic and biotic factors in turn have an impact on different local animal communities. The impact of land-use practices on the biodiversity of a certain biological taxon can be indirect via changing abiotic conditions and species interactions or direct, for example, by the destructive impact of wood harvesting in forests and mowing in grasslands
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