2 Methods
2.1 Study area
All field experiments were performed within the framework of the
research project “REGRASS” (Re-establishing grassland-strips to
promote biodiversity and ecosystem services ) that was located near the
villages Elsbach (48°15’08.3”N 16°02’56.9”E) and Ollern (48°16’02.5”N
16°05’07.9”E) in the area of Sieghartskirchen, Lower Austria (mean
annual air temperature: 12.4 °C, mean annual precipitation: 628 mm;
Kreuth
2019). The region is characterised by small-scale but intensively
managed agricultural land, along the foothills of the Wienerwald
forests. Within the study region (Elsbach, Ollern) five crop fields were
selected, adjacent to extensively managed, semi-natural pasture (old
grasslands; OG). In each of which three different transects directly
adjacent to the old grasslands were established (see Fig. 1): newly
established grasslands (NG), a transect within cereal fields ten meters
next (CN) to new grasslands and within cereal fields in far (CF)
distance of >80 meters to new grasslands. Each transect
contained six sampling plots at a regular distance of 35 meters, making
up 15 transects comprising 90 sampling plots in total. The first
sampling plot of each transect was located in the old grasslands.
Grassland ant species, as well as biocontrol potential were investigated
over a period of two months between 8th of April to
7th of June 2019.