Enzymatic Activity of Soil on the Occurrence of the Endangered Beetle Cheilotoma musciformis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Xerothermic Grasslands

This work attempts to find the reasons for the rather limited range of occurrence of in Poland, based on soil properties, which affects both the plant cover and the entomofauna. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of soil enzyme activity on the occurrence of in xerothermic grasslands in Southern Poland. The sites inhabited by the beetle were most often extensively grazed by farm animals or had recently been cleared of bushes. The control plots were in wasteland. The soils of most sites with were characterized by significantly higher activity of the tested enzymes and higher content of total organic carbon and total nitrogen, as well as lower pHKCl compared to the control sites. The higher enzymatic activity of soils in sites with the beetle than in the control sites may indicate the dependence of the occurrence of this beetle on the presence of patches of extensively grazed xerothermic grasslands. Grazing influences the behavior of preferred host plant species. Therefore, when planning active protection of xerothermic grasslands inhabited by , changes in the biochemical properties of the soil and vegetation structure should be taken into account.