Variation in species richness of plants and diverse groups of invertebrates in three calcareous grasslands of the Swiss Jura mountains

One spieder species (Oxyptila pullata) and two mite species (Epilohmannia cylindrica minima and Pergalumna myrmophila) were recorded for the first time in Switzerland.

Abstract

Variation in species richness of plants and diverse groups of invertebrates in three calcareous grasslands of the Swiss Jura mountains.-Species richness and abundance of vascular plants and several groups of invertebrates (spiders, oribatid mites, diplopods, grasshoppers and bush crickets, ground beetles, butterflies and terrestrial gastropods) were recorded in three calcareous grasslands (Nenzlingen, Movelier and Vieques) in the northwestern Swiss Jura mountains.Species richness varied both between taxonomical groups and between sites (species richness ranges: 96-116 vascular plants, 60-66 spiders, 18 oribatid mites at each site, 1-7 diplopods, 10-16 grasshoppers and bush crickets, 19-21 ground beetles, 32-46 butterflies and 15-21 terrestrial gastropods).Species overlap (number of species that occurred at all sites) was relatively large in terrestrial gastropods (59.1%), butterflies (56.5%), vascular plants (53.8%) and grasshoppers (47.1%), but relatively low in oribatid mites (32.3%), spiders Manuscript accepted 16.