Highly Specialized Animals

Warmth and aridity can be useful as well as limiting for wild animals. They mark the physical environment through radiation and evaporation and influence the nutritional basis as well as the small vegetation structures.

Steppes and Dry Grasslands form extreme habitats mainly populated by habitat specialists. These include many species that thrive on warmth. Among them are numerous Mediterranean and Pannonic species that have reached their dispersal limits and are partially rated as national rarities.

The bee Hoplitis moscaryi, for example, is one such specialist. It builds its nest in sparsely overgrown areas and lines it almost completely with the petals of Linum flavum. The bees then collect pollen from this plant species. The strong connection to the feeding plant can be problematic. If Linum flavum doesn't bloom at the right time or if it is not available for any other reason (e.g. if cut too early), the entire population of this bee species can be severely damaged. In addition to Hoplitis moscaryi, many other wild bees only collect pollen from one or very few plant species and are very demanding with regard to nesting places.

The list of highly specialized and endangered animal species is very long because the spectrum of Steppe and Dry Grassland fauna contains several thousand species. The fact that over 1,250 butterfly species have been recorded in the Glaslauterriegel-Heferlberg Nature Reserve, which is only a few hectares in size, underlines the enormous biodiversity.

The Pannonic Steppes and Dry Grasslands harbour faunal treasures such as the rodentia Spermophilus citellus, the woodlark Lullula arborea, the lizard Lacerta viridis viridis, the spider Eresus cinnaberinus, the butterfly Chazara briseis, the neuropteran Mantispa styriaca, the grasshopper Saga pedo or the bee Anthidium septemdentatum.

From the viewpoint of the nature preservation specialist, the Pannonic Steppes and Dry Grasslands count as Austrian locations most worthy of protection.