Translocation of arthropods with <i>Sphagnum</i> biomass during the establishment of a <i>Sphagnum</i> cultivation site

Abstract The transfer of Sphagnum donor material is an important practice for establishing Sphagnum cultivation sites (SCS) and for restoring bog vegetation, but its effects on bog arthropods, which are often restricted in distribution due to peatland degradation, are poorly understood. This study investigates the accidental translocation of arthropods during the establishment of an SCS in northwestern Germany. Arthropod samples were taken from donor material of two near‐natural donor sites. Subsequently, the arthropod communities and habitat parameters influencing their establishment at the SCS were analysed in the first 2 years after spreading the donor material. A total of 11 arthropod orders were identified in the donor material, with Araneae and Formicidae (Hymenoptera) being the most abundant. However, only a few orders, particularly Araneae, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera, were established in significant numbers at the SCS. Generalised linear mixed models showed that Sphagnum height positively influenced the abundance of all dominant orders at the SCS, while bare peat, open water, straw mulch cover, and vascular plant cover had partially negative effects. Successful arthropod translocation with Sphagnum donor material depends on promoting the rapid formation of a thick Sphagnum carpet at the recipient site as the primary habitat structure.