Millipede (Diplopoda) Communities in Agricultural Landscape: Influence of Management Form

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Currently, the alternative forms of management are increasingly applied in agriculture. Although their less negative impact on environment is generally supposed, there is still a lack of a reliable data about their real favourability for the abundance and diversity of soil invertebrates, including millipedes. Therefore, the aim of our study was to find out, whether the form of agricultural management affects the structure of millipede communities and hence, the performance of their functions in soil ecosystems. The research was carried out using pitfall trapping through growing seasons 2005 to 2007 on the model territory of Agricultural Cooperative (AC) Ocova (Central Slovakia). Millipedes were captured at four pairs of sites (8 sites in total). The same cultivated crop (wheat, barley, alfalfa or permanent law) with application of two different forms of agricultural management (conventional form and sustainable form with basic sustainable agro-environmental scheme) was characteristic of each pai...