Range shifts of central european orthoptera in response to climate change [Arealveränderungen mitteleuropäischer Heuschrecken als Folge des Klimawandels]

Abstract

Although land-use change has resulted in major habitat loss, increased isolation and decreased habitat quality, 26 out of the 79 indigenous Orthoptera species in Germany were able to expand their range within recent decades. The extent of range expansion varied greatly among the species and depended on their habitat requirements and dispersal ability as well as the landscape structure at the range margin. The range shifts started in the late 1980s and were associated with the strong increase in mean summer and annual temperatures. Consequently, global warming can be seen as the driving force behind this development. Surprisingly, not only generalists associated with mid- and late-successional stages such as Chrysochraon dispar, Conocephalus fuscus and Roeseliana roeselii were able to extend their range, but also specialists with quite different moisture requirements (e. g. Calliptamus italicus, Sphingonotus caerulans and Stethophyma grossum). Orthopteran species of which populations are expected to decline in the course of ongoing climate change include Decticus verrucivorus, Metrioptera brachyptera, Omocestus viridulus, Pseudochorthippus montanus and Tettigonia cantans. The few montane and alpine grasshopper species in Germany are also likely to suffer from global warming. © 2018 W. Kohlhammer GmbH. All rights reserved.