Evaluating the relative importance of site and landscape characteristics for invertebrate communities in grasslands restored through agri-environment schemes
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Published source details
Woodcock B., Ball S., Amy S., Edwards M., Redhead J., Mountford O., Gregory S., Duffield S., Macgregor N. & Pywell R. (2016) Evaluating the relative importance of site and landscape characteristics for invertebrate communities in grasslands restored through agri-environment schemes. Natural England report, DEFRA Report RP01878.
Published source details Woodcock B., Ball S., Amy S., Edwards M., Redhead J., Mountford O., Gregory S., Duffield S., Macgregor N. & Pywell R. (2016) Evaluating the relative importance of site and landscape characteristics for invertebrate communities in grasslands restored through agri-environment schemes. Natural England report, DEFRA Report RP01878.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Restore arable land to permanent grassland Action Link |
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Restore arable land to permanent grassland
A replicated, site comparison study in 2014 on 52 fields in arable reversion in southern England, UK (Woodcock et al. 2016) found that neither the method of restoring arable land to permanent grassland, nor current management of the field, affected adult butterfly and day-flying moth species richness or caterpillar abundance, but species richness of adult butterflies was lower in fields restored longer ago. One to 30 years after arable reversion began, butterfly species richness and caterpillar abundance were similar on fields established by sowing complex or simple seed mixes, or by allowing natural regeneration, and on fields managed by sheep or cattle grazing, and with or without mowing (data not presented). The species richness of adult butterflies was lower on arable reversion fields >20 years old (0–6 species/site) than fields <10 years old (1–8 species/site), but caterpillar abundance was similar (data not presented). Between 1984–2013, restoration of 52 former arable fields (1.0–22.8 ha) to calcareous grasslands began. Fields were restored by natural regeneration, re-seeding with simple grass or complex grass and non-woody broadleaved plant (forb) mixes, or by spreading green hay. Fields were cut every 1–4 years (normally after 15 July) and lightly grazed (typically 1 livestock unit/ha) by sheep or cattle, with some fields ungrazed. From July–August 2014, adult butterflies and day-flying moths were surveyed twice/day on three days, and caterpillars were sampled by 20 sweeps/day of a net, along a 100-m transect at each site.
(Summarised by: Andrew Bladon)
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