Contrasting beetle assemblage responses to cultivated farmlands and native woodlands in a dynamic agricultural landscape
- Ng, Katherina, Driscoll, Don, MacFadyen, Sarina, Barton, Philip, McIntyre, Sue, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , Driscoll, Don , MacFadyen, Sarina , Barton, Philip , McIntyre, Sue , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 8, no. 12 (2017), p.
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- Description: There is an urgent need to identify ways of managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation without reducing food production. Farming practices that consider spatiooral heterogeneity of farm fields may be a feasible alternative to large-scale revegetation of farmlands for maintaining arthropod biodiversity and their important ecological function. We examined seasonal differences in beetle assemblages in woodland remnants and four adjoining farmland uses in a highly modified agricultural landscape in southeastern Australia. The farmland uses were crops, fallows, and two restoration treatments (fine woody debris applied over harvested crop fields, and restoration plantings). Unexpectedly, overall species richness was significantly lower in remnants than in adjacent farmlands. Remnants and farmlands supported significantly different assemblages, with a third of species found in both habitats. Abundance responses were taxon-specific and influenced by interactions between land use and season. In particular, predator abundance was significantly higher in plantings and fallows during spring compared to summer. Detritivore abundance was significantly higher in the woody debris compared to the adjacent remnants. Herbivore abundance did not differ between remnants and farmlands over time. Complex responses provide strong support for a mosaic of land uses to effectively conserve different beetle groups. Species richness results suggest that further agricultural intensification, in farm fields and through the removal of remnant vegetation, risks reducing beetle diversity in this region. Maintaining farmland heterogeneity with a mix of low-intensity land uses, such as conservation tillage, crop-fallow rotation, restoration plantings, and the novel application of fine woody debris over cultivated fields, may provide seasonal refuge and resources for beetles. © 2017 Ng et al.
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , Driscoll, Don , MacFadyen, Sarina , Barton, Philip , McIntyre, Sue , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 8, no. 12 (2017), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: There is an urgent need to identify ways of managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation without reducing food production. Farming practices that consider spatiooral heterogeneity of farm fields may be a feasible alternative to large-scale revegetation of farmlands for maintaining arthropod biodiversity and their important ecological function. We examined seasonal differences in beetle assemblages in woodland remnants and four adjoining farmland uses in a highly modified agricultural landscape in southeastern Australia. The farmland uses were crops, fallows, and two restoration treatments (fine woody debris applied over harvested crop fields, and restoration plantings). Unexpectedly, overall species richness was significantly lower in remnants than in adjacent farmlands. Remnants and farmlands supported significantly different assemblages, with a third of species found in both habitats. Abundance responses were taxon-specific and influenced by interactions between land use and season. In particular, predator abundance was significantly higher in plantings and fallows during spring compared to summer. Detritivore abundance was significantly higher in the woody debris compared to the adjacent remnants. Herbivore abundance did not differ between remnants and farmlands over time. Complex responses provide strong support for a mosaic of land uses to effectively conserve different beetle groups. Species richness results suggest that further agricultural intensification, in farm fields and through the removal of remnant vegetation, risks reducing beetle diversity in this region. Maintaining farmland heterogeneity with a mix of low-intensity land uses, such as conservation tillage, crop-fallow rotation, restoration plantings, and the novel application of fine woody debris over cultivated fields, may provide seasonal refuge and resources for beetles. © 2017 Ng et al.
Land management impacts on soil properties and initial soil erosion processes in olives and vegetable crops
- Bogunovic, Igor, Telak, Leon Josip, Pereira, Paulo, Filipovic, Vilim, Filipovic, Lana, Percin, Aleksandra, Durdevic, Boris, Birkás, Márta, Dekemati, Igor, Comino, Jesus Rodrigo
- Authors: Bogunovic, Igor , Telak, Leon Josip , Pereira, Paulo , Filipovic, Vilim , Filipovic, Lana , Percin, Aleksandra , Durdevic, Boris , Birkás, Márta , Dekemati, Igor , Comino, Jesus Rodrigo
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics Vol. 68, no. 4 (2020), p. 328-337
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- Description: This research aims to assess the impacts of soil use management on runoff, soil losses, and their main soil controls in vegetable cropland (CROP), tilled olives (OT), and grass-covered olive orchards (OGC) on Leptosol in Croatia. Soil analysis and rainfall simulation experiments were conducted to quantify runoff (Run), soil, and nutrient losses. Bulk density (BD) was significantly higher at OT plots, in addition to the CROP plots. Water-stable aggregates (WSA), mean weight diameter (MWD), and soil organic matter (OM) were significantly higher in OGC plots compared to the other land uses. Run and soil loss (SL) were significantly higher in CROP and OT plots compared to the OGC plots. The CROP plots showed soil management that can be considered as unsustainable with 52, 68- and 146-times higher losses of phosphorus (P loss), nitrogen (N loss), and carbon (C loss) compared to the OGC plots. The principal component analysis showed that MWD was associated with vegetation cover (VC), water-holding capacity (WHC), WSA, OM, total nitrogen (TN), time to ponding (TP), and time to runoff (TR). These variables were negatively related to P2O5, Run, SL, and P, N, and C loss. Results indicate the need for the adoption of conservation strategies in croplands and olive orchards.
- Authors: Bogunovic, Igor , Telak, Leon Josip , Pereira, Paulo , Filipovic, Vilim , Filipovic, Lana , Percin, Aleksandra , Durdevic, Boris , Birkás, Márta , Dekemati, Igor , Comino, Jesus Rodrigo
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics Vol. 68, no. 4 (2020), p. 328-337
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This research aims to assess the impacts of soil use management on runoff, soil losses, and their main soil controls in vegetable cropland (CROP), tilled olives (OT), and grass-covered olive orchards (OGC) on Leptosol in Croatia. Soil analysis and rainfall simulation experiments were conducted to quantify runoff (Run), soil, and nutrient losses. Bulk density (BD) was significantly higher at OT plots, in addition to the CROP plots. Water-stable aggregates (WSA), mean weight diameter (MWD), and soil organic matter (OM) were significantly higher in OGC plots compared to the other land uses. Run and soil loss (SL) were significantly higher in CROP and OT plots compared to the OGC plots. The CROP plots showed soil management that can be considered as unsustainable with 52, 68- and 146-times higher losses of phosphorus (P loss), nitrogen (N loss), and carbon (C loss) compared to the OGC plots. The principal component analysis showed that MWD was associated with vegetation cover (VC), water-holding capacity (WHC), WSA, OM, total nitrogen (TN), time to ponding (TP), and time to runoff (TR). These variables were negatively related to P2O5, Run, SL, and P, N, and C loss. Results indicate the need for the adoption of conservation strategies in croplands and olive orchards.
Representation of plot‐scale soil heterogeneity in dual‐domain effective flow and transport models with mass exchange
- Filipović, Vilim, Coquet, Yves, Gerke, Horst
- Authors: Filipović, Vilim , Coquet, Yves , Gerke, Horst
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Vadose zone journal Vol. 18, no. 1 (2019), p. 1-14
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- Description: Core Ideas The heterogeneity of soil hydraulic properties can be described with effective parameters. Increasing model complexity can be used to represent plot‐scale soil heterogeneity. One‐dimensional dual‐domain flow models are used to reproduce 2D preferential transport. Local subscale variability effects are included as mass transfer in an effective model. Agricultural soils are characterized by a structure that is strongly dependent on farming practices like tillage and trafficking. These practices can create compacted zones in the soil, thus initiating preferential flow. Two‐ or three‐dimensional models can be used to account for the spatial variability of the soil hydraulic and transport properties. Since it is challenging to obtain such data, it is logical to find simpler approaches. Our objective was to design a one‐dimensional (1D) modeling approach that effectively accounts for plot‐scale soil structure variability. A 1D dual‐permeability model was tested in which compacted soil was represented by a matrix domain and uncompacted soil by a fracture domain and eventually by assuming an additional immobile water region (MIM) in the fracture domain representing compacted clods embedded within the uncompacted soil. Models (1D) were compared with two‐dimensional single‐porosity (2D_SP) modeling results for water flow and Br− transport based on a previously performed field tracer experiment. Results indicated good agreement between 1D dual‐domain approaches (1D_DPERM and 1D_DPERM_MIM) and the 2D_SP representative model simulation results with high model efficiency and with respect to the field observations. This implied that a 1D vertical model description was sufficient to represent plot‐scale variability if smaller scale soil structure heterogeneities could be accounted for as effective parameters in dual‐domain models. Variation in the mass transfer term had a large effect on the vertical Br− profile distribution. The parameters describing the sizes and shapes of the domains were most relevant for estimating mass transfer between soil structural features in heterogeneous agricultural fields. Still, the calibration of the upscaling approach of two‐domain interactions in larger scale models remains challenging.
- Authors: Filipović, Vilim , Coquet, Yves , Gerke, Horst
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Vadose zone journal Vol. 18, no. 1 (2019), p. 1-14
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Core Ideas The heterogeneity of soil hydraulic properties can be described with effective parameters. Increasing model complexity can be used to represent plot‐scale soil heterogeneity. One‐dimensional dual‐domain flow models are used to reproduce 2D preferential transport. Local subscale variability effects are included as mass transfer in an effective model. Agricultural soils are characterized by a structure that is strongly dependent on farming practices like tillage and trafficking. These practices can create compacted zones in the soil, thus initiating preferential flow. Two‐ or three‐dimensional models can be used to account for the spatial variability of the soil hydraulic and transport properties. Since it is challenging to obtain such data, it is logical to find simpler approaches. Our objective was to design a one‐dimensional (1D) modeling approach that effectively accounts for plot‐scale soil structure variability. A 1D dual‐permeability model was tested in which compacted soil was represented by a matrix domain and uncompacted soil by a fracture domain and eventually by assuming an additional immobile water region (MIM) in the fracture domain representing compacted clods embedded within the uncompacted soil. Models (1D) were compared with two‐dimensional single‐porosity (2D_SP) modeling results for water flow and Br− transport based on a previously performed field tracer experiment. Results indicated good agreement between 1D dual‐domain approaches (1D_DPERM and 1D_DPERM_MIM) and the 2D_SP representative model simulation results with high model efficiency and with respect to the field observations. This implied that a 1D vertical model description was sufficient to represent plot‐scale variability if smaller scale soil structure heterogeneities could be accounted for as effective parameters in dual‐domain models. Variation in the mass transfer term had a large effect on the vertical Br− profile distribution. The parameters describing the sizes and shapes of the domains were most relevant for estimating mass transfer between soil structural features in heterogeneous agricultural fields. Still, the calibration of the upscaling approach of two‐domain interactions in larger scale models remains challenging.
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