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Feldmann, Enedikt, Buchholz, Sascha, Gilgado, José D., Baur, Bruno, Braschler, Brigitte (2020): Kurzbeitrag Anotylus politus (Erichson, 1840) (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) neu für die Fauna der Schweiz. Entomo Helvetica 13: 153-154, DOI: 10.5169/seals-985895

Im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojektes zur Biodiversität in städtischen Siedlungsgebieten wurden im Jahr 2014 auf 22 Wiesen mithilfe von Becherfallen (« pitfall traps ») epigäisch lebende Arthropoden erfasst. Dabei setzten wir pro Wiese 12 Becherfallen (Durchmesser 6 cm, gefüllt mit Wasser und etwas Detergensmittel) ein. Die Fallen waren dreimal während je einer Woche (im März/ April, Juli und September/ Oktober) im Einsatz. Die Tiere bestimmten wir bis auf Artniveau. Neben zahlreichen anderen Arthropoden wurden insgesamt 1175 Kurzflügelkäfer (Staphylinidae) gefangen. In einer Falle auf einer Trockenwiese im Friedhof Hörnli (Riehen, Kanton Basel-Stadt; Koordinaten 47°33'57.47" N, 7°38'51.37" O; Abb. 1) wurde am 2. Juli 2014 ein Individuum von Anotylus politus (Erichson, 1840) nachgewiesen (Abb. 2). Anotylus politus wurde bisher aus der Türkei, Südosteuropa und aus dem südöstlichen Mitteleuropa gemeldet (Schülke & Smetana 2015). Aus Mitteleuropa ist die Art aber nur aus Österreich (Typuslokalität) und aus der Slowakei gesichert nachgewiesen (Assing & Schülke 2012, M. Schülke pers. Mitt.). Die Art war bisher aus der Schweiz nicht bekannt. Aufgrund der wenigen Nachweise und entsprechend spärlichen Angaben zu den Fundumständen können über die Biologie der Art keine weiteren Aussagen getroffen werden. Das Exemplar wurde im Naturhistorischen Museum Basel deponiert (NMB-COLEO 0009801)., Published as part of Feldmann, Enedikt, Buchholz, Sascha, Gilgado, José D., Baur, Bruno & Braschler, Brigitte, 2020, Kurzbeitrag Anotylus politus (Erichson, 1840) (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) neu für die Fauna der Schweiz, pp. 153-154 in Entomo Helvetica 13 on pages 153-154, DOI: 10.5169/seals-985895, http://zenodo.org/record/8114543, {"references":["Schulke M. & Smetana A. 2015. Staphylinidae. In: Lobl I. & Lobl D. (Eds), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Volume 2. Hydrophiloidea - Staphylinoidea, pp. 304 - 1134. Revised and updated edition. Leiden, Brill.","Assing V. & Schulke M. (Hrsg.) 2012. Die Kafer Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Staphylinidae (exklusive Aleocharinae, Pselaphinae und Scydmaeninae). Zweite neubearbeitete Auflage. - Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg und Berlin: I - XII, 1 - 560."]}

Human-induced reductions in species richness might alter the quality of ecosystem services when the remaining species are not able to substitute the functions provided by extirpated species. We examined how human disturbances (nutrient enrichment, land use intensification, instream habitat degradation and the presence of alien species) influence the species richness of stream invertebrates. Stream invertebrates (425 native species) were collected by kick and sweep sampling technique at 274 stream sites covering the entire area of Hungary. We measured the species richness, functional richness (i.e. number of unique functional roles provided by community members) and functional redundancy (i.e. the functional insurance of the community) using information on the feeding habits of each species. To remove the effect of natural variability, we tested the effect of stressors on the residuals of models relating species richness, functional richness and functional redundancy with natural environmental gradients. Our results showed that species richness was negatively influenced by instream habitat degradation and nutrient enrichment. Independent of the way of quantifying functional richness and functional redundancy, we found that functional richness is more sensitive to human impact than functional redundancy of stream invertebrates. The finding that a reduction of species richness is associated with a loss of unique functional roles (functional richness) is important for conservation issues, because the number of unique functional roles is usually regarded as driver of ecosystem functioning

The effects of disturbance by recreational activities (trampling) on changes in soil organic matter (SOM) and on mycorrhizal roots of seedlings and mature trees were studied in four stands of a beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest near Basel, Switzerland. At each site, comparable disturbed and undisturbed plots were selected. Disturbance reduced ground cover vegetation and leaf litter. Beech seedlings had lower biomass after disturbance. Ergosterol concentration in seedling roots, an indicator of mycorrhizal fungi, was lower in two of the four disturbed plots compared to undisturbed plots; these two disturbed sites had especially low litter levels. Based on ergosterol measurements, mycorrhizas of mature trees did not appear to be negatively affected by trampling. Total fine roots and SOM were higher in the disturbed than in the undisturbed plots at three sites. At the fourth site, fine roots and SOM in the disturbed areas were lower than in the undisturbed areas most probably due to nutrient input following picnic activities. Principal component analysis revealed a close correlation between SOM and fine roots of mature trees as well as litter and seedling biomass. Trampling due to recreational activities caused considerable damage to the vegetation layer and in particular to the beech seedlings and their mycorrhizal fine roots, whereas, roots of mature trees were apparently resilient to trampling

Rivers are among the most endangered ecosystems of the world with dramatically decreasing biodiversity. Rehabilitation programmes aiming at restoration of riverine ecosystems rely on the recolonisation of native macroinvertebrates from refuges. We examined whether a relatively natural remnant of the former river Rhine (Altrhein) harbours a higher richness of benthic macroinvertebrates than two sites of the modified Rhine with artificial and semi-natural embankments near Basel. All three sites were bimonthly sampled between May 2007 and May 2008 using three techniques: Kick and Sweep, drifting animals collected from pieces of stone turned by hand, and animals collected from stone surfaces. Taxa richness was higher in the Altrhein than in the two sampling sites in the river Rhine, but it was mainly a result of the large number of individuals sampled at this site. Despite 17% of taxa recorded were alien, the three sampling sites differed neither in the number of alien taxa nor in their abundances. However, lower percentages of both alien taxa and individuals were recorded in the Altrhein than at the other two sites in the Rhine. Indicator value analysis showed that the macroinvertebrate community of the Altrhein maintains several native and specific taxa. Multivariate analyses supported the separation of the communities collected at different sampling sites and also the uniqueness of the community in the Altrhein. The observed patterns, however, strongly depended on the sampling method applied, thereby calling the attention to the application of standard sampling methods and also to the restriction of result comparisons on projects using identical sampling methodology. Our study shows that the remnant of the former river Rhine serves as a refuge for macroinvertebrates which may facilitate future restoration of the river embankment

Different species may respond differently to habitat fragmentation. Theory predicts that abundant generalist species should be less affected by fragmentation than specialist species. In ant communities, the most abundant species is often behaviourally dominant. Thus, habitat fragmentation could alter competitive interactions between the dominant ant species and the other species. We tested this hypothesis in a long-term grassland fragmentation experiment. Fragments of different size (20.25 and 2.25m2) were isolated by a 5-m wide strip of frequently mown vegetation. Control plots were situated in adjacent undisturbed grassland. Ant density and species composition were assessed 3 and 6years after initiation of the experimental fragmentation. The effect of the dominant ant species on the resource use of the other species was examined at natural sugar resources (aphids and extrafloral nectaries) and at artificial sugar baits. Lasius paralienus was the most abundant ant species (72% of nests) in the grasslands examined. Species richness and forager density in the other species decreased with increasing density of L. paralienus in fragments but not in control plots. The overall forager density of the other species was positively related to their habitat niche overlap with L. paralienus. The density of foragers of the other species at sugar resources was not affected by L. paralienus forager density. The experimental fragmentation resulted in an increase in natural sugar resources in fragments. This may have reduced the intensity of interspecific competition for sugar resources. Our study shows that the grassland fragmentation altered interactions between the dominant L. paralienus and the other ant species

The spread of alien molluscs is a serious threat to native biodiversity in fresh waters. Alien freshwater molluscs may deplete the resources of native species and alter the physical structure of the habitat through their shell mass. These changes might have both positive and negative effects on native community members. We investigated the native macroinvertebrate community in relation to the densities of four alien mollusc species (Corbicula fluminea, Dreissena polymorpha, Potamopyrgus antipodarum and Lithoglyphus naticoides) in a sandy flat of Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The habitat examined was dominated by these alien mollusc species. The abundance of the alien molluscs did not directly impact the native community assembly. However, C.fluminea and D. polymorpha influenced the composition and diversity of native macroinvertebrates by transforming the sandy substratum into a partly hard substratum habitat. Substantial differences in community composition between shallow (

The fragmentation of natural habitat is considered to be a major threat to biodiversity. Decreasing habitat quality and quantity caused by fragmentation may lead to a disruption of plant-pollinator interactions and to a reduction in sexual reproduction in plant species. We conducted a 6-year field experiment to investigate the effects of small-scale fragmentation on plant-pollinator interactions and genetic diversity in the self-compatible Betonica officinalis. We examined the abundance and composition of pollinators, the foraging behaviour of bumblebees and the performance, outcrossing rate and genetic diversity of B. officinalis after 2 and 6years in experimentally fragmented nutrient-poor, calcareous grassland in the northern Swiss Jura mountains. Fragments of different size (2.25 and 20.25m2) were isolated by a 5-m-wide strip of frequently mown vegetation. Control plots of corresponding size were situated in adjacent undisturbed grassland. Experimental grassland fragmentation altered the composition of B. officinalis pollinators and reduced their flower visitation rate. Furthermore, the foraging behaviour of bumblebees was changed in the fragments. After 6years of fragmentation seed weight was higher in fragments than in control plots. However, the densities of B. officinalis rosettes and inflorescences, plant height and inflorescence length were not affected by fragmentation. The outcrossing frequency of B. officinalis growing in fragments was reduced by 15% after 2years and by 33% after 6years of experimental fragmentation. This resulted in a significant reduction of the genetic diversity in seedlings emerging in fragments after 6years. Our study shows that small-scale habitat fragmentation can disturb the interaction between B. officinalis and pollinators resulting in a reduced outcrossing frequency and genetic diversity in plants growing in fragments. However, the response to fragmentation was considerably delayed. This finding strengthens the claim for long-term field experiments with proper replications and controls to assess delayed effects of habitat fragmentation

Landscape and site classifications are increasingly being used in conservation planning and biodiversity management. We examined the utility of a simple typology system for predicting the conservation value of running-water sites in Hungary using aquatic invertebrates. Aquatic invertebrates (444 species) were collected by kick and sweep sampling technique, in a few cases also with a net, at 317 running-water sites covering the entire area of Hungary. On the basis of three criteria (naturalness, altitude and size of catchment area) we obtained a typology scheme distinguishing five running-water types: artificial lowland stream, natural highland river, natural highland stream, natural lowland river and natural lowland stream. We expressed the conservation value of each site using the numbers of native species, unique native species, red-list species, protected species and alien species. Furthermore, the conservation value of each river type was expressed by a measure of beta diversity. Our results show that any interpretation of the effect of a single criterion might be misleading. Consequently, the use of the whole typology system is recommended. The study revealed that all stream types are valuable to a certain extent because they maintain distinct biological communities. We found that the conservation value of artificial watercourses is comparable to that of natural running-water sites. We identified that natural lowland rivers and artificial lowland streams are the ones mostly exposed to species invasions. These findings are essential in maintaining and protecting conservation values of any freshwater ecosystem, and may contribute to management decisions on running waters in Hungary