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Human Land use Threatens Endemic Wetland Species: The Case of Chorthippus lacustris (La Greca and Messina 1975) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Epirus, Greece

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Abstract

Chorthippus lacustris is an endemic grasshopper (Orthoptera) species in Epirus, Greece. Its population status, habitat characteristics, and relation to historical and current human land use are investigated. The species has a restricted and fragmented distribution pattern. Five locations, four within Pamvotida Lake basin and one in Lake Paramythia, cover a total of 0.12 km2. It is strongly dependent on wet grasslands, flooded on a seasonal basis. The greatest population density is recorded in the site with the greatest diversity of dominant plant species. Ch. lacustris is estimated to have lost 85–99% of its habitat during the last 50 years due to wetland drainage. The main threat to the species survival is further habitat loss by urbanisation around Pamvotida Lake and by land conversion to agriculture in Paramythia Lake, even though both sites belong to the Natura 2000 network. The species status is Critically Endangered and it should be listed in Annex II of the Habitat Directive (92/43/EEC) as a priority species for conservation. Restoring wet grasslands, protecting them from further urbanisation and drainage, and monitoring species population are the main measures proposed for its conservation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Seferi 2, 30100, Agrinio, Greece

    Vassiliki Kati, Paraskevi Mani & Panayotis Dimopoulos

  2. Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Zoology, Lehrstuhl II, Erlangen, Germany

    Otto von Helversen

  3. Fer Willemse, Laurastraat 67, NL 6471 JH, Eygelshoven, Holland

    Fer Willemse

  4. Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Berliner Straße 28, 37073, Göttingen, Germany

    Norbert Elsner

Authors
  1. Vassiliki Kati
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  2. Paraskevi Mani
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  3. Otto von Helversen
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  4. Fer Willemse
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  5. Norbert Elsner
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  6. Panayotis Dimopoulos
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Correspondence to Vassiliki Kati.

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Kati, V., Mani, P., von Helversen, O. et al. Human Land use Threatens Endemic Wetland Species: The Case of Chorthippus lacustris (La Greca and Messina 1975) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Epirus, Greece. J Insect Conserv 10, 65–74 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-005-2642-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-005-2642-y

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