Jürg Schlegel

Zurich University of Applied Sciences | ZHAW · Institute of Natural Resource Sciences (IUNR)

Accelerated by global warming, retreating glaciers leave behind spatially ordered moraines with underlying primary succession and disturbance. Current knowledge of primary succession comes mainly from studies of vegetation dynamics. Information about above-ground macroinvertebrates is still scarce. We used carabid beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae) as...

Using a standardised questionnaire, a total of 415 students from two different Swiss primary schools, grammar schools and agricultural schools as well as students from a Swiss University of Applied Sciences were asked about their attitudes towards 27 different indigenous wildlife animal species. In the questionnaire, six mammal, five bird, two rept...

Habitat fragmentation, as a result of habitat loss and degradation, is widely considered to be a major threat to biodiversity. Our study focused on the distribution, diversity and abundance of butterflies on 22 isolated plots, mainly consisting of wet grassland. The plots were surrounded by deciduous mixed forests and located in an agglomeration ar...

The native bracken fern ( Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) has become increasingly invasive in abandoned or undergrazed Alpine grasslands. Bracken stands are generally assumed to be poor in species, but there is still very little information about the impact on the fauna. We recorded Orthoptera communities of 24 sample plots with varying bracken cove...

The joint effect of forest edge (FE) heterogeneity and management intensity of the adjacent farmland on FE insect communities is still poorly understood. In this study, a pairwise design was established, consisting of 36 Western European lowland FEs, with each of the 18 FE pairs containing one improved and one nearby non-improved FE. Half of the FE...

Review of existing literature on the impact of ground-mounted photovoltaics, mainly solar parks and agrophotovoltaics, on biodiversity and environment. With evaluation and outlook on the application possibilities in Switzerland [Mandate from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy]

67 Tagfalter-Arten, darunter 16 Vertreter der Roten Liste und gegen 15 000 Individuen: Dies ist die eindrückliche Bilanz von 55 ZHAW-Studierenden, die seit 2016 am Tagfalter-Inventar des Kantons Zürich mitgearbeitet haben. Die nötigen Fachkenntnisse eigneten sie sich im Rahmen des Tagfalter-Kurses an, der als Teil des Minors «Artenkenntnisse» im 6....

Grasshoppers (Orthoptera) in ecological compensation areas of a pre-alpine cultural landscape near Schönenberg (Switzerland, canton of Zürich) with trends since 1990. Our investigations in the pre-alpine cultural landscape of Schönenberg (Switzerland, canton of Zürich) have shown that ecological compensation areas (ECA) such as reeds and extensive...

Rediscovery of Myrmeleotettix maculatus (Thunberg, 1815) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in the valley zone of eastern Switzerland after more than 80 years. − On 17 July 2016, for the first time in more than 80 years, Myrmeleotettix maculatus (Thunberg, 1815) was detected in the valley zone of eastern Switzerland. A population of this highly endangered gra...

First record of Brenthis daphne (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) in the canton of Zurich in July 2017 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). − A single individual was found in Ottenbach (ZH) on the edge of a forest clearing. The observation confirms the continuous expansion of this thermophilous species towards the east. --- Der Brombeer-Perlmutterfalter Brent...

Confirmation of Phengaris (Maculinea) arion (Linnaeus, 1758) in the canton of Zurich more than 50 years after the last verified observation. − In July 2016, a male individual of the Large Blue was found on an extensively grazed, southeast-exposed, rather steep pasture below the Schnebelhorn (ZH, Fischenthal) at 1150 m a. s. l. Evidence suggests tha...

Die Fauna Indicativa charakterisiert in Tabellenform ökologische Präferenzen und biologische Eigen- schaften aller in der Schweiz einheimischen Libellen-, Heuschrecken-, Laufkäfer- und Tagfalterarten. Die Angaben für Präferenzen und Eigenschaften werden meist als Zahlen angegeben und entweder als skalierte Werte oder als Ja-Nein Entscheide aufgefüh...

Children have served as research subjects in several surveys on attitudes to insects and invertebrates. Most of the studies have used quantitative scoring methods to draw conclusions. This paper takes a different approach as it analyzes children’s free-text comments to gain an understanding of their viewpoints. A total of 246 children aged 9–13 com...

Flagship species play an important role in promoting nature conservation. However, although the significance of invertebrates in biodiversity and ecosystem services is undisputed, they are rarely used as flagship species. A focused approach to better understand the drivers of differences in attitudes toward invertebrates, and insects in particular,...

The management of Swiss Beverin Nature Park in the Canton of Grisons is interested in establishing insects as flagship species to promote the Schams Mountain (Schamserberg) ecosystem and wants to base the decision-making process on quantitative research. A survey on attitudes towards insects was designed and then completed by 331 local pupils, aged...

(1)Thesurvival of peripheral populations is often threatened, especially in a changing environment. Furthermore, such populations frequently show adaptations to local conditions which, in turn, may enhance the ability of a species to adapt to changing environmental conditions. In conservation biology, peripheral populations are therefore of particu...

Spatial Use of the Owly Sulphur north of the Alps – Consequences for species protection Isolation of habitats remains one of the most severe threats to biodiversity, and it is vital to enable exchange among habitat islands by creating suitable stepping stones or connecting habitat corridors. The Owly Sulfur Libelloides coccajus has been heavily aff...

Isolation of habitats remains one of the most severe threats to biodiversity, and it is vital to enable exchange among habitat islands by creating suitable stepping stones or connecting habitat corridors. The Owly Sulfur Libelloides coccajus has been heavily affected by isolation north of the Alps since it depends on dry and warm open forests and o...

Due to genital examination of larger series of species of the genus Bembidion Latreille, 1802 in the area of the Goldauer landslide (canton of Schwyz), Bembidion (Peryphanes) italicum De Monte, 1943 was detected for the fi rst time north of the Swiss Alps. In Switzerland this species colonizes rather humid, marly-clay pioneer locations in proximity...

A comprehensive survey on a threatened owlfly, Libelloides coccajus (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) in the canton of Aargau revealed only two remaining populations. One of them consisted of three subpopulations found within a few hundred meters, and two of them with very few individuals only. Exchanges among the three subpopulations were not investi...