Effects of vineyard inter-row management on the diversity and abundance of plants and surface-dwelling invertebrates in Central Romania

Cristina Fiera,Sophie Kratschmer,Claudiu-Ioan Bunea,Johann G Zaller,István Urák,Bálint Markó,Daniela Popescu,Minodora Manu,Silvia Winter,Werner Ulrich,Andrei Giurginca,Nicole Penke,Jacob Buchholz,Melania Stan,Ioana Nae,Pascal Querner

doi:10.1007/s10841-019-00215-0

Abstract

Vineyard inter-rows are important biodiversity hotspots within agricultural landscapes, especially when they are covered with vegetation. However, little is known on the effects to management intensity on a broad range of surface-dwelling invertebrates and their interaction with vegetation. We assessed the diversity and activity density of ants, beetles, millipedes, mites, spiders, springtails and woodlice using pitfall traps in vineyards with either high management intensity (HI) consisting of frequently tilled inter-rows or low management intensity (LO) with alternating tillage in every second inter-row. The study was performed in the Târnave wine region in Central Romania. We wanted to know whether, (i) vineyard management intensity affects the diversity of plants and invertebrates, and (ii) local habitat characteristics affect species richness of different functional guilds and taxa. Species richness of some invertebrate taxa (Coleoptera, Araneae, Formicidae) did significantly differ between HI and LO vineyards. Only phytophages (some Coleoptera) increased in species richness and activity density with vegetation cover. Vineyard soil properties (organic matter content, pH, P, and K) did not significantly differ between HI and LO vineyards. We conclude that vineyard inter-row management can affect both the conservation of biodiversity and the provision of biodiversity-driven ecosystem services.

Highlights

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is among the oldest perennial crops and well adapted to dry climates
Vegetation surveys were conducted in four 1 × 1 m plots, which were established in the non-tilled inter-rows
Different effects of vineyard tillage intensity on the diversity of plants and invertebrates The results of this study show that vineyard management intensity affect the diversity of plants and some invertebrate groups

Summary

Introduction

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is among the oldest perennial crops and well adapted to (summer-) dry climates. Vineyard inter-rows provide habitats for a range of plant and above- and belowground animal species, especially when covered with vegetation (Kehinde and Samways 2014; Kratschmer et al 2018). Organisms colonizing these inter-rows provide various ecosystem services (e.g., primary production, pest control, pollination, erosion mitigation and soil nutrient cycling), while their occurrence and abundance are influenced by a range of factors, including tillage practices (Faber et al 2017), weeds and cover crops, surrounding landscape structures and applications of agrochemicals for pest management (Sharley et al 2008; Thomson and Hoffmann 2007). Vineyard inter-row management has been shown to affect the number and activity of spiders and ground beetles (Norris and Kogan 2000) and alter interactions between collembolans and spiders (Pfingstmann et al 2019)

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