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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Conservation of the Grey Bush Cricket Platycleis albopunctata (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) Under Differing Habitat Conditions: Implications From an Individual-Based Model

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Assessing the chance of survival of any species is a great challenge in conservation biology. In this chapter, we analyse the vulnerability of the grey bush cricket Platycleis albopunctata in habitats of different food availability under current and increased temperature conditions applying an individual-based model. Our simulations show that populations in warmer habitats with a higher food limitation have a much lower extinction risk than those living in habitats that are less food-limited and colder. An increase in mortalities of life stages severely increases the risk of population extinction, whereas a shift in the termination of egg diapause towards the beginning of the year caused by warmer winters has no significant effect on survival. Thus, P. albopunctata may benefit from increasing future temperatures if neither life stage mortalities will increase as the result of simultaneously affected abiotic habitat conditions (due to precipitation and temperature) and/or species interactions nor changes in abiotic conditions will cause a shortage of food. We demonstrate that simulation models are a suitable tool to understand processes influencing population survival of temperature-dependent species under current and future habitat conditions. They are in particular beneficial in conserving relict species that are naturally restricted to patchy and scarce habitats.