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Prendergast-Miller MT, Jones DT, Berdeni D, Bird S, Chapman PJ, Firbank L, Grayson R, Helgason T, Holden J, Lappage M, Leake J, Hodson ME. Arable fields as potential reservoirs of biodiversity: Earthworm populations increase in new leys. Sci Total Environ 2021; 789:147880. [PMID: 34058593 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Managing soil to support biodiversity is important to sustain the ecosystem services provided by soils upon which society depends. There is increasing evidence that functional diversity of soil biota is important for ecosystem services, and has been degraded by intensive agriculture. Importantly, the spatial distribution of reservoirs of soil biota in and surrounding arable fields is poorly understood. In a field experiment, grass-clover ley strips were introduced into four arable fields which had been under continuous intensive/conventional arable rotation for more than 10 years. Earthworm communities in arable fields and newly established grass-clover leys, as well as field boundary land uses (hedgerows and grassy field margins), were monitored over 2 years after arable-to-ley conversions. Within 2 years, earthworm abundance in new leys was 732 ± 244 earthworms m-2, similar to that in field margin soils (619 ± 355 earthworms m-2 yr-1) and four times higher than in adjacent arable soil (185 ± 132 earthworms m-2). Relative to the arable soils, earthworm abundance under the new leys showed changes in community composition, structure and functional group, which were particularly associated with an increase in anecic earthworms; thus new leys became more similar to grassy field margins. Earthworm abundance was similar in new leys that were either connected to biodiversity reservoirs i.e. field margins and hedgerows, or not (installed earthworm barriers). This suggests that, for earthworm communities in typical arable fields, biodiversity reservoirs in adjacent field margins and hedgerows may not be critical for earthworm populations to increase. We conclude that the increase in earthworm abundance in the new leys observed over 2 years was driven by recruitment from the existing residual population in arable soils. Therefore, arable soils are also potential reservoirs of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda T Prendergast-Miller
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5NG, UK; Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.
| | - David T Jones
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Despina Berdeni
- The University of Sheffield, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK; Crop Physiology, ADAS Gleadthorpe, Meden Vale, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG20 9PD, UK
| | - Susannah Bird
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Pippa J Chapman
- water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Leslie Firbank
- water@leeds, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Richard Grayson
- water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Thorunn Helgason
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Joseph Holden
- water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Martin Lappage
- water@leeds, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Jonathan Leake
- The University of Sheffield, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Mark E Hodson
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5NG, UK
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Abstract
In this paper, we present the methodology and some results from the application of an integrating conceptual framework, MIRABEL, to analyze the consequences of environmental change for biodiversity. For 28 European countries, MIRABEL tabulates changes in the status of threatened habitats predicted to result from 10 environmental pressures. Regional variations in the severity of the pressures and impacts are taken into account by compiling separate impact tables for each of 13 Ecological Regions. Results suggest that agricultural intensification is one of the main threats, however, differences recorded by MIRABEL in the intensity of the pressures, their rate of change and their past and expected impacts on biodiversity in the various Ecological Regions is telling evidence of Europe's biogeographical variety, and of the need to take this into consideration when assessing environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Petit
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6JU, UK.
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Abstract
In this paper, we present the methodology and some results from the application of an integrating conceptual framework, MIRABEL, to analyze the consequences of environmental change for biodiversity. For 28 European countries, MIRABEL tabulates changes in the status of threatened habitats predicted to result from 10 environmental pressures. Regional variations in the severity of the pressures and impacts are taken into account by compiling separate impact tables for each of 13 Ecological Regions. Results suggest that agricultural intensification is one of the main threats, however, differences recorded by MIRABEL in the intensity of the pressures, their rate of change and their past and expected impacts on biodiversity in the various Ecological Regions is telling evidence of Europe's biogeographical variety, and of the need to take this into consideration when assessing environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Petit
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6JU, UK.
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Firbank L, Ludwig J, Tongway D, Freudenberger D, Nobel J, Hodgkinson K. Landscape Ecology: Function and Management. Principles From Australia's Rangelands. J Appl Ecol 1997. [DOI: 10.2307/2405245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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