Abstract
Central Europe is situated at the biogeographical crossroads between temperate West and East, between North and South. The character of insect fauna is derived from a long ecological-historical succession which has taken place during Holocene period – at least since the end of the last Pleistocene Ice Age (about 12,000 years B.P.). The Holocene ecological succession started from forest-tundra biomes to various forest types dependent on elevation, diverse geomorphology and postglacial migrations of biota (Firbas 1949; De Lattin 1957; Jeník and Price 1994; Schmitt 2009). During the relatively warmer Holocene postglacial periods only the open mountain ridges, montane glacials cirques and open waterlogged peatbogs and fens preserved non-forest “relict” arctic/subarctic/boreal and alpine insect populations in habitats other than closed forests. Local and scattered dry grassland biomes on rocky limestone or volcanic substrates provided refugia for penetrating xerothermic south-eastern and Mediterranean insect species (De Lattin 1957; Malicky et al. 1983) Both types of azonal locally distributed habitats represent very important paleorefugia (sensu Nekola 1999) for nature conservation projects, with values extending well beyond those for entomology alone. The paleorefugial habitats (biotopes) of dominant forested landscape are preserved in virgin forest conditions also in limited numbers of local places of recent central Europe: natural montane mixed forests, lowland deciduous /oak/ woods and several types of wetland forests. Human-induced impacts on the original postglacial biomes resulted in far-reaching alterations and fragmentation of most types of original ecosystems. For the original primary distribution of natural biomes and reconstruction of vegetation, several mapping projects for some central European countries are available (for example, Neuhäuslová 2001, with plant ecological bibliography) and provide habitat characteristics and basic introductions for investigations of insect communities. Most data are valid across the boundaries of the states and political units, and help to emphasise that the political frontiers of central Europe are not important for local biogeography, insect conservation policy and division of this chapter. The main points that follow apply across the region.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aspöck H (2009) Entomofaunistics as a basic discipline for broad biological research exemplified on the Neuropterida of central Europe: a historical account. Commun Abstr SIEEC 21:7–8
Barták M, Kubík J (eds) (2005) Diptera of Podyjí National Park and its environs. ČZU, Praha
Baumann E (1981) Erfolgreiche Wiedereinbürgerung von Zerynthia polyxena auf einem ehemaligen Weinberg am Stadtrand von Graz. Beih Veröff Naturschutz Landschaftspflege Bad-Württ 21:177–179
Bergmann A (1951–1955) Die Gross-Schmetterlinge Mitteldeutschlands. Bd. 1–5. Urania-Verlag, Jena
Bezděk A, Jaroš J, Spitzer K (2006) Spatial distribution of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and moths (Lepidoptera) in the Mrtvý luh bog, Šumava Mts (Central Europe): a test of habitat island community. Biodivers Conserv 15:395–409
Blab J, Kudrna O (1982) Helfsprogramm für Schmetterlinge. Naturschutz aktuel 6:1–135
Conrad KFR, Warren MS, Fox R, Parsons MS, Woiwod IP (2006) Rapid declines of common widespread British moths provide evidence of an insect biodiversity crisis. Biol Conserv 132:279–291
Dabrowski JS, Krzywicki M (1982) Extinct and endangered species of Lepidoptera of Polish fauna. Part 1. Papilionoidea, Hesperioidea, Zygaenoidea. Panstwowe Wydawnictwo Naukove, Warszawa (in Polish, English summary)
De Lattin G (1957) Grundriss der Zoogeographie. G. Fischer Verlag, Jena/Stuttgart
Ebert G, Schmid G (eds) (1981) Biotop- und Artenschutz bei Schmetterlingen. Beih Veröff Naturschutz Landschaftspflege Bad-Würt 21:1–232
Farkač J, Král D, Škorpík M (eds) (2005) Červený seznam ohrožených druhů České republiky. Bezobratlí. Red list of threatened species in the Czech Republic. Invertebrates. AOPK, Praha (In Czech and English)
Firbas F (1949) Spät- und nacheiszeitliche Waldgeschichte Mitteleuropas nördlich der Alpen. Bd.1. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena
Gepp J (ed) (1983) Rote Listen gefährter Tiere Österreichs. Bundesministerium für. Gesundheit und Umweltschutz, Wien
Gilg O (2004) Old-growth forests. Characteristics, conservation and monitoring, vol 74, Habitat and species management- technical report. Atelier technique des espaces naturelles, Montpellier, pp 1–96
Hacker H, Müller J (2006) Die Schmetterlinge der bayerischnen Waldreservate. Beiträge zur bayerischnen Entomofaunistik Suplementband 1:5–272
Hausmann A (2001) The geometrid moths of Europe, vol 1. Apollo Books, Stenstrup
Jeník J, Price MF (1994) Biosphere reserves on the crossroad of central Europe. (Man and biosphere project). Empara MAB, Praha
Kasy F (1981) Naturschutzgebiete in östlichen Österreich als Refugien bemerkenswerter Lepidopterenarten. Beih Veröff Naturschutz Landschaftspflege Bad-Würt 21:109–120
Lepidopterologen-Arbeitsgruppe (1987) Tagfalter und ihre Lebensräume. Band 1. Schweiz Bund für Naturschutz. Fotorotar, Basel
Lepidopterologen-Arbeitsgruppe (1997) Schmetterlinge und ihre Lebensräume Band 2. Schweiz Bund für Naturschutz. Fotorotar, Basel
Lozan A, Spitzer K, Jaroš J (2009) Good parasitic wasps gone bad: a short review of two stories of the oceanic and habitat islands. Commun Abstr SIEEC 21:59–62
Malicky H, Ant H, Aspöck H, De Jong R, Thaler K, Varga Z (1983) Argumente zur Existenz und Chorologie mitteleuropäischer (extramediterran-europäischer) Faunen-Elemente. Entomol Gen 9:101–119
Moog O (ed) (1995) Fauna aquatica Austriaca (A comprehensive species inventory of Austrian aquatic organisms with ecological notes). Version 1995. Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Vienna
Nekola JC (1999) Paleorefugia and neorefugia: the influence of colonization history on community pattern and process. Ecology 80:2459–2473
Neuhäuslová Z (ed) (2001) Map of potential natural vegetation of the Czech Republic. Academia, Praha
New TR (1997) Butterfly conservation, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Melbourne
Novák I, Havel L (2006) Atlas šumavských motýlů (Butterflies and moths of the Bohemian Forest Mts – Šumava). Karmášek, České Budějovice (In Czech)
Novák I, Spitzer K (1982) Ohrožený svět hmyzu (Endangered world of insects). Academia, Praha (In Czech)
Olejníček J, Spitzer K (1984) Hydrophorus signiferus Coquillett 1899 (Dolichopodidae, Diptera) recorded from the South Bohemian peat bogs. Sbor Jihočes Muz v Čes Budějovicích Přír Vědy 24:107–108
Palik E (1981) The conditions of increasing menace for the existence of certain Lepidoptera of Poland. Beih Veröff Naturschutz Landschaftspflege Bad-Württ 21:31–33
Pax F (1916) Die Tierwelt der deutschen Moore und ihre Gefährdung durch Meliorierungen Beitr. Naturdenkmal 5:236–248
Pax F (1921) Die Tierwelt Schlesiens. Verlag von G. Fischer, Jena
Pils G (1994) Die Wiesen Oberösterreichs. Forschungsinstitut für Umweltinformatik, Linz
Rabitsch W, Essl F (eds) (2009) Endemiten. Kostbarkeiten in Österreichs Pflanzen- und Tierwelt. Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein für Kärnten, Klagenfurt
Rejmánek M, Spitzer K (1982) Bionomic strategies and long-term fluctuations in abundance of Noctuidae (Lepidoptera). Acta Entomol Bohemoslov 79:81–96
Schmitt T (2009) Mediterran, kontinental und arctoalpin: Die drei biogeographischen. Grundmuster Europas und des Mittelmeerraumes am Beispiel von Schmetterlingen. Entomologie heute 21:3–19
Schtickzelle A, Menneche G, Baguette M (2006) Dispersal depression with habitat fragmentation in the Bog Fritillary butterfly. Ecology 87:1057–1065
Settele J (1998) Metapopulationsanalyse auf Rasterdatenbasis. UFZ, B.G. Teubner, Verlagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart/Leipzig
Settele J (2009) Insect conservation. Science 325(5936):41–42
Škapec L (ed) (1992) Red book of the endangered and rare species of plants and animals of Czechoslovakia. Vol. 3 (Invertebrates). Priroda, Bratislava (In Czech and Slovak, English summary)
Soldán T, Papáček M, Novák K, Zelený J (1996) The Šumava Mountains: a unique biocentre of aquatic insects (Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Plecoptera, Megaloptera, Trichoptera and Heteroptera-Nepomorpha). Silva Gabreta 1:179–186
Soldán T, Zahrádková S, Helešic J, Dušek L, Landa V (1998) Distributional and quantitative patterns of Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera in the Czech Republic: a possibility of detection of long-term environmental changes of aquatic biotopes. Folia Fac Sci Nat Univ Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 98:1–305
Southwood TRE (1977) Habitat, the templet for ecological strategies? J Anim Ecol 46:337–365
Spitzer K, Danks HV (2006) Insect biodiversity of boreal peat bogs. Annu Rev Entomol 51:137–161
Spitzer K, Jaroš J (2008) Long-term monitoring of moths populations (Lepidoptera) associated with a natural wetland forest: synthesis after 25 years. Terrest Arthropod Rev 1:155–163
Spitzer K, Lepš J (1992) Bionomic strategies in Lepidoptera, risk of extinction and nature conservation projects. Nota lepid supplement 4:81–85
Thomas JA, Simcox DJ, Clarke RT (2009) Successful conservation of a threatened Maculinea butterfly. Science 325(5936):80–84
Tshikolovets V (2003) Butterflies of Eastern Europe, Urals and Caucasus. Konvoj, Brno/Kyiv
Van Dyck H, Van Strien AJ, Maes D, Van Swaay CAM (2009) Declines in common, widespread butterflies in a landscape under intense human use. Conserv Biol 23:957–965
Van Swaay CAM, Warren MS (1999) Red data book of European butterflies (Rhopalocera), vol 99, Nature and environment. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg
Wells SM, Pyle RM, Collins NM (1983) The IUCN invertebrate red data book. IUCN, Gland
Wildermuth H, Gonseth Y, Maibach A (2005) Odonata – die Libellen der Schweiz, vol 12, Fauna Helvetica. CSCF/SEG, Neuchatel
Acknowledgement
I thank Josef Jaroš for helpful suggestions and field cooperation. Tim New kindly revised the manuscript and improved my English.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Spitzer, K. (2012). Insect Conservation Developments in Central Europe. In: New, T. (eds) Insect Conservation: Past, Present and Prospects. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2963-6_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2963-6_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-2962-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-2963-6
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)