Abstract
The intensification of agriculture has led to the reduction of the diversity of arthropods in agroecosystems, including that of ground-dwelling species. The aim of our work was to assess the effect of a sown cover crop on the diversity of ground-dwelling arthropods, including key predators for pest control in pear orchards. The trial was carried out in a pear orchard divided in three blocks; two treatments (cover-cropping and control) were implemented in each block. A seed mixture of 10 plant species was used in the plots with the sown cover. The densities of ground-dwelling arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps. The ground cover had a significant impact on the diversity and abundance of arthropods. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index was significantly higher for the cover than for the control plots. Several families of spiders (Linyphiidae, Lycosidae), beetles (Carabidae, Staphylinidae) and hymenopterans (Scelionidae) were significantly more abundant in the cover-sown plots. Ants and collembola had a significantly higher abundance in the control plots. Some of these groups arthropods (ants and spiders), are represented by species that may commute between ground and pear trees, having an impact on pest control. The use of cover crops is encouraged to enhance biodiversity in farmlands.
Highlights
Biodiversity is currently experiencing one of the greatest known regressions since the beginning of life on Earth [1,2,3]
This way of farming is expected to have a high impact on the local diversity of arthropods, the aim of our study was to investigate how cover crops influence the diversity and abundance of including some of the species that play a key role in the regulation of pests
The effect of cover crops on the diversity and abundance abundance of ground-dwelling arthropods was tested in a randomised block design experiment with of ground-dwelling arthropods was tested in a randomised block design experiment with three three replicates of two treatments
Summary
Biodiversity is currently experiencing one of the greatest known regressions since the beginning of life on Earth [1,2,3]. Changes in land use and cover are currently considered the single-most acute factor threatening biodiversity worldwide, since native diversity depends on the structural and compositional diversity of habitats [5]. Among these changes, the conversion of natural ecosystems such as forests or grasslands to agriculture is considered to make a high contribution [6]. Of the land surface on the planet [3]. Habitat loss and fragmentation, combined with high inputs of pesticides, are nowadays considered the main causes of the worldwide loss of biodiversity [10,11,12]
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