2026/07/08 by Dávid Korányi, Edina Török, Róbert Gallé +3 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · #Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology #Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.baae.2026.07.005
openalex publication_date 2026/07/08 · openalex created_date 2026/07/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/19
As a major consequence of human-driven landscape changes, habitat fragmentation poses a serious threat to wildlife communities in many ecosystems. Among these, grassland arthropods, which are a taxonomically and functionally diverse group, are especially affected due to their high sensitivity to environmental shifts. However, their responses to fragmentation may differ among functional groups and can be influenced by both bottom-up and top-down effects. Here, we examined habitat loss, isolation, and edge effects, as well as plant-mediated bottom-up effects (resource concentration and condition), on the abundance and activity of sap-feeders, pollinators and related ecosystem functions (leaf herbivory and dry fruit mass) in hawthorn ( Crataegus monogyna ) bushes of forest steppes. We also evaluated the effect of fragmentation on predatory arthropod abundances and their association with sap-feeder numbers. Leaf herbivory was the highest in small and isolated fragments and at habitat edges, with generally high lace bug numbers. Additionally, sap-feeders preferred bushes with healthier canopies, and abundant floral resources increased pollinator activity; however, dry fruit mass showed a significant interaction between fragment size and bush position, as it increased for edge bushes and slightly decreased for solitary bushes with increasing forest-steppe area. Predatory arthropods, especially those with good dispersal ability, showed a strong tendency to track sap-feeder abundances. Our findings indicate that conservation management should prioritise maintaining resource-rich vegetation along forest-steppe and plantation edges, as well as preserving dense stands of flowering bushes in isolated fragments, to ensure resource continuity for primary consumers. Finally, enhancing landscape connectivity through habitat corridors may promote the establishment and persistence of arthropod species with limited dispersal ability, thereby supporting functionally diverse communities and associated ecosystem services.