Abstract
Soil represents an important pool of biodiversity, hosting about a quarter of the living species on our planet. This soil richness has led to increasing interest in the structural and functional characteristics of its biodiversity. Studies of arthropod responses, in terms of abundance and taxon richness, have increased in relation to their ecological value as bioindicators of environmental change. This research was carried out over the 2014–2018 period with the aim to better understand arthropod taxa responses in vineyard soils in Franciacorta (Lombardy, Italy). To determine the biological composition in terms of arthropod taxa presence, one hundred soil samples were analysed. Environmental characteristics, such as chemical composition, soil moisture and temperature, and soil management were characterized for each soil sample. A total of 19 taxa were identified; the NMDS model analysis and the cluster analysis divided them into five groups according to their co-occurrence patterns. Each group was related to certain abiotic conditions; of these, soil moisture, temperature and organic matter were shown to be significant. A decision tree analysis showed that a longer period since conversion from conventional to organic farming lead to a higher arthropod biodiversity defined as a higher number of taxa.
Highlights
Soil has recently been described as the most complex and diverse ecosystem in the world [1], and it represents an important pool of biodiversity
The European Commission [4] estimates that about a quarter of living species on our planet are found in the soil, and the importance of this biodiversity has already been described in relation to the functional roles that the soil biota plays in regulating ecosystem processes [5]
We report on the results of a 5-year investigation into the responses of the arthropod community to soil characteristics and vineyard management in the Franciacorta viticultural area (Lombardy, Italy)
Summary
Soil has recently been described as the most complex and diverse ecosystem in the world [1], and it represents an important pool of biodiversity. Despite the increasing number of studies on soil biodiversity, many structural and functional aspects of this biodiversity remain largely unexplored [5,6] In this context, the investigation of the relationship between soil arthropod communities, in terms of abundance and taxa richness, and environmental conditions played an important role. Different studies have focused on the effect of organic viticulture on soil arthropod communities; different authors [15,47,48] show the general positive effect of organic management on soil arthropod abundance and distribution. The influence of vineyard management (conventional vs. organic) and the time of conversion from conventional to organic on arthropod biodiversity was investigated
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