Psammophilous Grasslands and Other Open Sandy Habitats in the Sandomierz Basin as a Refuge for Threatened Orthoptera in Poland

Abstract

Psammophilous grasslands are declining in Europe due to ecological succession and anthropogenic pressures, yet they group many specialised invertebrates of early successional biotopes. We investigated the occurrence of six threatened species of Orthoptera in 135 patches of psammophilous grasslands and other open sand-related habitats (dry heaths, sandy roads, sand pits) located in the Sandomierz Basin (SE Poland). The aim was to verify whether these habitats, and especially the active military range, serve as a refuge for any of the selected species. Localities of Podisma pedestris and Calliptamus italicus found in the study area covering 0.7% of Poland’s territory represented a significant proportion (50 and 18%, respectively) of UTM grid squares known to be currently occupied by these species in the country. In the regional scale of southern Poland, studied habitats also accumulated a large proportion (ca. 17%) of the current localities of Oedipoda caerulescens. However, for Aiolopus thalassinus, Psophus stridulus and Sphingonotus caerulans the importance of the Sandomierz Basin as a country wide refuge was rather minor. Five of the six target species were found on the military range, with two (P. pedestris, P. stridulus) recorded only there. These results indicate that sand-related habitats are important refuges for some threatened orthopterans in the region and should be actively protected.