Van Kleef H.H., Vogels J., Felix R.P.W.H & Bouwman J. 2024
Despite protection under the European Union Habitats Directive, remaining heathlands face degradation from various factors, including nitrogen deposition, climate change, and altered land use. Using laboratory and field experiments we examined the habitat requirements and causes of decline for two large heathland bush-crickets, Ephippiger diurnus (Dufour, 1841) and Gampsocleis glabra (Herbst,1786), focusing on the availability of bare mineral soil for egg deposition. Our study revealed a strong preference for bare sand over moss-covered soil for oviposition for both species. Our results show that loss of bare soil patches is an important bottleneck in the life cycle of large heathland bush-crickets.