The impact of submontane meadows management on the structure of millipede (Diplopoda) communities

Semi-natural submontane meadows are biodiversity-rich habitats that require appropriate management for conservation; however the effects of management on millipede communities remain understudied. We investigated millipede communities across 30 plots in mowed, grazed, and abandoned meadows at 10 localities in central Slovakia using pitfall traps in 2018. In total, 705 individuals from 15 species were collected. Mowed meadows had the highest average activity density (43.4 individuals), species richness (5.6 species), and Shannon diversity (H = 1.32), followed by grazed meadows. In contrast, abandoned meadows showed the lowest average values (9.6 individuals, 2.9 species, H = 0.83). Species composition differed across habitat types, with Megaphyllum projectum favouring grazed meadows and Unciger transsilvanicus and Mastigona bosniensis preferring managed meadows (mowed and grazed), and Glomeris tetrasticha was more abundant in abandoned meadows. Plot area and distance to continuous forest were identified as significant predictors of community composition. Millipede activity density increased with plot area but declined with increasing distance from continuous forest. Species richness also showed a positive relationship with plot area but decreased with higher soil nitrogen content. Soil nitrogen further had a negative effect on Shannon diversity, whereas solar radiation exerted a positive influence. Mowing emerged as the most suitable management practice, whereas grazing and abandonment were less favourable.