Della Rocca Francesca, Repetto Emanuele, De Caria Livia, Milanesi Pietro
Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via Ferrata, 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro, 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
Insects. 2025 Mar 6;16(3):279. doi: 10.3390/insects16030279.
The bush cricket , listed as Vulnerable globally by the IUCN and included in Annex IV of the EU Habitats Directive, is a parthenogenetic species highly sensitive to environmental changes, facing threats from forest expansion and agricultural intensification. prefers dry, open habitats with sparse vegetation, and its pronounced thermo-heliophily makes it an indicator of xerothermic habitats. In many areas of Italy, including the Northern Apennines (Piedmont), semi-natural grasslands are fragmented. Open habitats have been reduced to small, isolated patches surrounded by forests due to the abandonment of agropastoral activities. Consequently, the occurrence of open habitat species is related to the quality and availability of suitable areas and ecological connectivity. We developed a spatial Bayesian framework to identify areas of occurrence for . Using the inverse probability of occurrence, we derived ecological corridors among suitable patches. Our findings indicate that the occurrence and connectivity of are reduced by intensive cultivation but favored by open habitats with 10-50% woody tree cover, suggesting sustainable land management is crucial for supporting the species. Given the extinction risk faces, we urge local administrations to maintain and improve suitable areas and guarantee the network of ecological corridors identified.
灌木蟋蟀被国际自然保护联盟列为全球易危物种，并被纳入欧盟栖息地指令附件四，它是一种孤雌生殖物种，对环境变化高度敏感，面临着森林扩张和农业集约化带来的威胁。它喜欢干燥、开阔且植被稀疏的栖息地，其显著的喜热嗜光性使其成为干热栖息地的指示物种。在意大利的许多地区，包括北亚平宁山脉（皮埃蒙特），半自然草原都已碎片化。由于农牧活动的废弃，开阔栖息地已缩减为被森林包围的小而孤立的斑块。因此，开阔栖息地物种的出现与适宜区域的质量、可用性以及生态连通性有关。我们开发了一个空间贝叶斯框架来确定灌木蟋蟀的出现区域。利用出现的逆概率，我们在适宜斑块之间得出了生态走廊。我们的研究结果表明，集约耕作会减少灌木蟋蟀的出现和连通性，但有10 - 50%木本树木覆盖的开阔栖息地则有利于其出现，这表明可持续土地管理对于支持该物种至关重要。鉴于灌木蟋蟀面临的灭绝风险，我们敦促地方政府维护和改善适宜区域，并确保所确定的生态走廊网络。
