Farkas Roland, Bán Miklós, Barta Zoltán
Bükk National Park Directorate, Eger, Hungary.
Juhász-Nagy Pál Doctoral School, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
PeerJ. 2024 Feb 29;12:e16783. doi: 10.7717/peerj.16783. eCollection 2024.
Wet meadows harbor rich biodiversity, making them pivotal ecosystems worldwide. These habitats are commonly used for grazing or hay production for livestock. However, regular mowing can influence these habitats, potentially leading to significant repercussions for the animals residing within them. In order to investigate the effects of land management practices, we conducted an experimental study to compare snail communities in mowed and unmowed wet meadows in northern Hungary. We found that overall, mowing decreases snail populations, as well as species richness and diversity. Thus, our results suggest that routine mowing of wet meadows is deleterious to their snail communities. Based on these results, we suggest that designated patches of meadows that are regularly managed should be left uncultivated in their natural state. These patches can serve as potential colonization sites, facilitating the restoration of the entire meadow's ecological balance.
湿润草甸拥有丰富的生物多样性，使其成为全球关键的生态系统。这些栖息地通常用于放牧或为牲畜生产干草。然而，定期割草会对这些栖息地产生影响，可能给栖息其中的动物带来重大影响。为了研究土地管理措施的影响，我们进行了一项实验研究，比较匈牙利北部割草和未割草的湿润草甸中的蜗牛群落。我们发现，总体而言，割草会减少蜗牛数量以及物种丰富度和多样性。因此，我们的结果表明，对湿润草甸进行常规割草对其蜗牛群落有害。基于这些结果，我们建议，定期管理的指定草甸区域应保持自然状态不进行开垦。这些区域可作为潜在的定殖地点，有助于恢复整个草甸的生态平衡。
