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Grasshopper diversity in agricultural grasslands: Evaluating flower strips as a restoration strategy
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DOI：10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04321.png)
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Abstract
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Agricultural intensification has simplified grassland habitats, reduced biodiversity and altered insect diversity. This study examined whether flower strips established alongside intensively managed grasslands can enhance grasshopper abundance and species richness, and evaluated whether these strips function similarly to extensive grasslands. Surveys were conducted in Austrian biosphere reserves across four management types: flower strips sown alongside intensive grasslands, the adjoining intensive grasslands themselves, additional intensive grasslands without strips used as controls, and extensive grasslands managed under low-intensity regimes. Results showed that intensive and control grasslands were dominated by Pseudochorthippus parallelus and supported the highest overall abundance, but they lacked habitat specialists. Flower strips and extensive grasslands, although lower in abundance, harbored additional species such as Leptophyes punctatissima, Pholidoptera griseoaptera, and Isophya kraussii. Species richness did not differ significantly among treatments, yet presence–absence patterns revealed clear habitat specific associations. Relative species richness was highest in flower strips (7.11), followed by extensive grasslands (6.18), while intensive and control grasslands showed lower values (5.60 and 5.36, respectively). Plant parameters further shaped responses in grasshopper abundance patterns: flower cover and vegetation height increased Caelifera abundance, while vegetation structure had a negative effect. Our findings indicate that flower strips did not increase grasshopper abundance and richness within nearby intensive grasslands compared to controls, but they shared some characteristics with extensive grasslands by providing refugia for several specialist taxa. Overall, these results highlight that integrating semi-natural elements such as flower strips into intensive farmland cannot fully offset the homogenizing effects of intensification, yet they could play a complementary role by mimicking extensive grasslands and sustaining specialist species, thereby contributing to broader biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes.
Keywords:
Grassland management
Orthoptera
Flower strips
Agricultural intensification
Biodiversity conservation
Species assemblages
Semi-natural habitats
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