scholarly journals Mutual and Opposing Responses of Carabid Beetles and Predatory Wasps to Local and Landscape Factors in Vineyards

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 746
Author(s):  
Deniz Uzman ◽  
Martin H. Entling ◽  
Ilona Leyer ◽  
Annette Reineke
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Trophic Group ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Landscape Complexity ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Cavity Nesting

Preserving agro-biodiversity is one of the main means at the moment to counteract the global biodiversity crisis. Vineyard inter-rows offer vegetation covers which could function as foraging grounds for arthropods. Furthermore, organic management and enhanced landscape complexity often support biodiversity. Here, species richness and abundance of two groups of arthropod predators in vineyards were studied. Fifteen pairs of organically and conventionally managed vineyards were chosen along a gradient of landscape complexity in Rhine-Hesse, Germany. Carabid beetles were sampled using pitfall traps and cavity-nesting wasps with trap nests, respectively. Proportions of different land-use types surrounding the vineyards were calculated and inter-row vegetation cover was characterized. Species richness and abundances of both predator groups were not significantly affected by the management system. Likewise, increased cover of semi-natural habitats in the surrounding landscape did not promote their diversity or abundance. Instead, the increasing cover of annual crops diminished both groups. Cavity-nesting wasps profited from dense inter-row vegetation cover, while carabids were disadvantaged. The results indicate that distinct taxa within the same trophic group can respond oppositely to vineyard management. Thus, inter-row vegetation management with densely and sparsely vegetated elements might be best to support predator diversity. Overall, our results suggest that organic viticulture alone is insufficient to assist the studied insect groups, and that other local and landscape management options are needed for their protection.

scholarly journals Staphylinidae and Carabidae overwintering in wheat and sown wildflower areas of different age

2004 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Frank ◽  
B. Reichhart
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Fine Sand ◽  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Sand Content ◽  
Surrounding Landscape ◽  
Successional Age

AbstractSpecies richness and abundance of staphylinid and carabid beetles overwintering in winter wheat fields and 1- to 3-year-old wildflower areas were investigated during 2000/2001 on 16 study sites in Switzerland. Abundance and species richness of overwintering staphylinids significantly increased with successional age of the wildflower areas and were always higher in older wildflower areas than in winter wheat. A similar but less distinct pattern was observed for the abundance and species richness of carabid beetles. The influence of habitat parameters (vegetation cover, fine sand content, organic matter, pH, soil pore volume, surrounding landscape structure, habitat area) on the staphylinid and carabid assemblages based on the number of individuals per species and site was analysed using canonical correspondence analysis. Vegetation cover was the most significant parameter significantly characterizing both staphylinid and carabid assemblages. The amount of vegetation cover explained 15.7% of the variance, fine sand content accounted for 13.3% and surrounding landscape structure for 10.9% of the variance in the staphylinid assemblage. In the carabid assemblage, vegetation cover was the only significant factor, explaining 24.7% of the variance. This study showed for the first time that the significance of wildflower areas as a reservoir for hibernation for generalist predatory beetles increases with progressing successional age.

scholarly journals Diversity of cavity-nesting bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) within apple orchards and wild habitats in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada

2008 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory S. Sheffield ◽  
Peter G. Kevan ◽  
Sue M. Westby ◽  
Robert F. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Apple Orchards ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Trap Nests ◽  
Compositional Patterns ◽  
Annapolis Valley

AbstractSolitary cavity-nesting bees, especially trap-nesting Megachilidae, have great potential as commercial pollinators. A few species have been developed for crop pollination, but the diversity, abundance, and potential pollination contributions of native cavity-nesting bees within agricultural systems have seldom been assessed. Our objectives were to compare the diversity and fecundity of cavity-nesting bees in Nova Scotia in natural ecosystems with those in apple orchards under three levels of management, using trap nests, and to determine whether any native bees show promise for development as pollinators. Our results show that species richness and numbers of bees reared from trap nests in commercially managed orchards, abandoned orchards, and natural habitats were similar, and species’ compositional patterns were not unique to specific habitats. Trap nests can be used to increase and maintain cavity-nesting bee populations within Nova Scotia apple orchards. Osmia tersula Cockerell (Megachilidae), which accounted for almost 45% of all bees captured and was the most abundant species nesting in all habitats evaluated, should be assessed for potential as a commercial pollinator of spring-flowering crops. The influence of natural cavities on bee species richness in trap-nesting surveys is also discussed.

scholarly journals Rare inventory of trematode diversity in a protected natural reserve

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Schwelm ◽  
Christian Selbach ◽  
Jenia Kremers ◽  
Bernd Sures
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Parasite Fauna ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Trematode Species ◽  
Parasite Diversity ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Total Species Richness ◽  
Natural Reserve

AbstractIn the face of ongoing habitat degradation and the biodiversity crisis, natural reserves are important refuges for wildlife. Since most free-living organisms serve as hosts to parasites, the diverse communities in protected areas can be expected to provide suitable habitats for a species-rich parasite fauna. However, to date, assessments of parasite diversity in protected nature reserves are rare. To expand our knowledge of parasite communities in natural habitats, we examined 1994 molluscs belonging to 15 species for trematode infections in a central European natural reserve. The parasitological examination revealed an overall prevalence of 17.3% and a total species richness of 40 trematode species. However, the parasite diversity and prevalence did not differ markedly from trematode communities in non-protected environments, which might be partly explained by a dilution effect caused by a high number of non-host organisms in our study system. The proportion of complex and long life cycles of parasites in the present study is high, indicating complex biotic interactions. We conclude that life cycle complexity, in addition to parasite diversity and trematode species richness, can provide valuable information on ecosystem health and should therefore be considered in future studies.

scholarly journals Do carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) exhibit similar diversity and distributional patterns along a spatio-temporal gradient on a glacier foreland?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Gobbi ◽  
Valeria Lencioni
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Aquatic Insect ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Glacier Foreland ◽  
Distributional Patterns ◽  
Glacier Front ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Carabid beetles and chironomid midges are two dominant cold-adapted taxa, respectively on glacier forefiel terrains and in glacial-stream rivers. Although their sensitivity to high altitude climate warming is well known, no studies compare the species assemblages exhibited in glacial systems. Our study compares diversity and distributional patterns of carabids and chironomids in the foreland of the receding Amola glacier in central-eastern Italian Alps. Carabids were sampled by pitfall traps; chironomids by kick sampling in sites located at the same distance from the glacier as the terrestrial ones. The distance from the glacier front was considered as a proxy for time since deglaciation since these variables are positively correlated. We tested if the distance from the glacier front affects: i) the species richness; ii) taxonomic diversity; and iii) species turnover. Carabid species richness and taxonomic diversity increased positively from recently deglaciated sites (those c. 160 m from the glacier front) to sites deglaciated more than 160yrs ago (those located >1300 m from glacier front). Species distributions along the glacier foreland were characterized by mutually exclusive species. Conversely, no pattern in chironomid species richness and turnover was observed. Interestingly, taxonomic diversity increased significantly: closely related species were found near the glacier front, while the most taxonomically diverse species assemblages were found distant from the glacier front. Increasing glacial retreat differently affect epigeic and aquatic insect taxa: carabids respond faster to glacier retreat than do chironomids, at least in species richness and species turnover patterns.

scholarly journals Family graveyards form underappreciated local plant diversity hotspots in China's agricultural landscapes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Gong ◽  
Liangtao Li ◽  
Jan C. Axmarcher ◽  
Zhenrong Yu ◽  
Yunhui Liu
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Landscape Features ◽  
Habitat Islands ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Ecological Functioning

AbstractIn the intensively farmed, homogenous agricultural landscape of the North China Plain, family graveyards form distinct cultural landscape features. In addition to their cultural value, these graveyards represent semi-natural habitat islands whose potential roles in biodiversity conservation and ecological functioning has remained poorly understood. In this study, we investigated plant species richness on 199 family graveyards of different ages and sizes. In accordance with biogeography theory, both overall and insect-pollinated plant species richness increased with area and age of graveyards. Even small graveyards show a strong potential for conserving local plant richness, and a mosaic of both large and small family graveyards could play an important role in the conservation of farmland biodiversity and related ecosystem functions. The launch of agri-environmental measures that conserve and create semi-natural habitats, in turn benefitting agricultural biodiversity and ecological functioning, has proven difficult in China due to the shortage of dispensable arable land. Given the great value of family graveyards as semi-natural habitats reflected in our study, we propose to focus preliminary efforts on conserving these landscape features as existing, widespread and culturally important semi-natural habitat islands. This would represent an effective, complementary policy to a subsequent re-establishment of other semi-natural habitats for the conservation of biodiversity and ecological functioning in agricultural landscapes.

Exploring the relationships between landscape complexity, wild bee species richness and reproduction, and pollination services along a complexity gradient in the Netherlands

2017 ◽  
Vol 214 ◽  
pp. 312-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tibor Bukovinszky ◽  
Joke Verheijen ◽  
Susan Zwerver ◽  
Esther Klop ◽  
Jacobus C. Biesmeijer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Landscape Complexity ◽  
Wild Bee

Bird species richness, composition and abundance in pastures are affected by vegetation structure and distance from natural habitats: a single tree in pastures matters

2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Neves Godoi ◽  
Rudi Ricardo Laps ◽  
Danilo Bandini Ribeiro ◽  
Camila Aoki ◽  
Franco Leandro de Souza
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Single Tree

scholarly journals Effect of Urbanization on Vegetation in Riparian Area: Plant Communities in Artificial and Semi-Natural Habitats

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Cao ◽  
Yosihiro Natuhara
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Impervious Surface ◽  
Riparian Areas ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Artificial Habitats ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

Riparian areas are local hot spots of biodiversity that are vulnerable and easily degraded. Comparing plant communities in habitats with different degrees of urbanization may provide valuable information for the management and restoration of these vulnerable habitats. In this study, we explored the impact of urbanization on vegetation communities between artificial and semi-natural habitats within two rivers with different levels of development. We compared species richness, types of vegetation, and composition patterns of the plants in our study. In artificial habitats, the sites with relatively high levels of urbanization had the highest species richness, while in semi-natural habitats, the highest species richness was recorded in the less urbanized sites. Furthermore, every component of urbanization that contributed to the variation of species richness was examined in the current study. In artificial habitats, the proportion of impervious surface was the strongest predictor of the variation in species richness and was associated with the richness of alien, native, and riparian species. In semi-natural habitats, most of the richness of alien and native species were associated with the distance to the city center, and the number of riparian and ruderal species was significantly related to the proportion of impervious surface. Moreover, we found that a high level of urbanization was always associated with a large abundance of alien and ruderal species in both artificial and in semi-natural habitats. We recommend the methods of pair comparison of multiple rivers to analyze the impact of urbanization on plant species in riparian areas and have suggested various management actions for maintaining biodiversity and sustainability in riparian ecosystems.

scholarly journals Breaking the Bottleneck: Conflicts Metamorphosis of Chure Landscape Management in Federal Nepal

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-86
Author(s):  
Bhola Bhattarai ◽  
Dipak Bishwokarma ◽  
Mathilde Legras
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Community Conflict ◽  
Environmental Protection Area ◽  
Protection Area

Chure forests, which is one of the youngest and most fragile landscapes of Nepal, continue to be degraded due to resource exploitation and conflict over its management. This region is considered to be the lifeline to down-stream communities - mainly for water - while inhabiting millions of poor and rural people that depend on natural resources - especially forests commons. Government initiatives to manage Chure have escalated contestations in the recent years. Its decision to declare Chure landscape as ‘Environmental Protection Area’ manifests a protection-centric management approach. This research scrutinises the genesis of contestation on Chure management utilising three–elements of conflicts described by Brown et al. (2017). It analyses power–relation to demonstrate potential implications on Chure landscape management as well as conflict resolution options, in the changed political context of federal Nepal. Our research reveals that all stakeholders are well aware of the continuous degradation of Chure landscape and have agreed on discovering the common locus of sustainable management. However, the state-community contestation still persists due to divergent understandings of degradation. Despite multiple strands of management options, contextualised community-based approach still appears to be an appropriate option to solve this persistent contestation, building on the practices of community forestry and historic failures of top-down, protection-centric management practice. The newly elected provincial and local governments could further facilitate a more effective management of Chure landscape through resolving the contentious state-community conflict.

scholarly journals Associations between fish assemblage and riparian vegetation in the Corumbataí River Basin (SP)

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Cetra ◽  
M. Petrere JR.
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Sugar Cane ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
The State ◽  
Multivariate Techniques

This work intends to examine if there are associations between fish species and the state of conservation of the riparian forest in the Corumbataí River Basin. Four main rivers were chosen for this study with three sites on each. Collections were carried out from March to June and from September to December 2001. Multivariate techniques were applied to determine the correlation between species richness and the order of the rivers, preservation level of the riparian forest, shade level, presence or absence of Eucalyptus, sugar cane and pastures, and surrounding declivity stability of the sites. Species richness was highest at locations with greater vegetation cover and preserved riparian forest.

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