Adjacent Hedgerows Research Articles

Trees in trimmed hedgerows but not tree health increase diversity of oribatid mite communities in intensively managed agricultural land

Hedgerows structure agricultural landscape worldwide but little is known on their soil communities. In the intensively managed agricultural landscapes of Ireland and the UK, hedgerows protect soil from degradation and are thought to provide a reservoir of soil biodiversity for the farmed fields. But hedgerows are currently threatened by emergent tree diseases spread with rising volumes of trade in plants. This study analysed the effect of the most dominant hedgerow tree species on the composition and diversity of soil communities, which we estimated with oribatid mites in the context of an imminent ash dieback outbreak in Northern Ireland. We hypothesised that the environmental heterogeneity created by different tree species and good tree health are beneficial to the abundance and diversity of these soil communities. We found that communities differ, both in terms of species composition and relative abundances, between different trees in the trimmed hedgerows, and between untrimmed and trimmed hedgerows. The presence of trees was associated with more variable species composition. The analysis of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) showed that pasture and adjacent hedgerows were dominated by bacteria but there was no clear relationship between bacterial biomass and oribatid abundance or richness. However, changes in bacterial PLFAs were correlated positively with changes in oribatid community composition. Soil under ash trees which were diseased supported a higher species richness and greater abundance of oribatids than healthy trees. We conclude that the presence of different tree species in hedgerows adds to the overall diversity of soil hedgerow communities and hypothesise that the structural heterogeneity created by tree canopy drives increased diversity. Ill health in ash trees is currently positively affecting oribatid communities, possibly due to the temporarily increase in organic matter in soil. The epidemic of ash dieback, however, is expected to kill and remove trees in the medium term and so reduce soil community diversity in the long term.

Soil Chemical Properties Barely Perturb the Abundance of Entomopathogenic Fusarium oxysporum: A Case Study Using a Generalized Linear Mixed Model for Microbial Pathogen Occurrence Count Data.

Fusarium oxysporum exhibits insect pathogenicity—however, generalized concerns of releasing phytopathogens within agroecosystems marred its entomopathogenicity-related investigations. In a previous study, soils were sampled from Douro vineyards and adjacent hedgerows. In this study, 80 of those soils were analyzed for their chemical properties and were subsequently co-related with the abundance of entomopathogenic F. oxysporum, after insect baiting of soils with Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor larvae. The soil chemical properties studied were organic matter content; total organic carbon; total nitrogen; available potassium; available phosphorus; exchangeable cations, such as K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+; pH; total acidity; degree of base saturation; and effective cation exchange capacity. Entomopathogenic F. oxysporum was found in 48 soils, i.e., 60% ± 5.47%, of the total soil samples. Out of the 1280 insect larvae used, 93, i.e., 7.26% ± 0.72%, were found dead by entomopathogenic F. oxysporum. Stepwise deletion of non-significant variables using a generalized linear model was followed by a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). A higher C:N (logarithmized) (p < 0.001) and lower exchangeable K+ (logarithmized) (p = 0.008) were found significant for higher fungal abundance. Overall, this study suggests that entomopathogenic F. oxysporum is robust with regard to agricultural changes, and GLMM is a useful statistical tool for count data in ecology.

Entomopathogenic fungi in Portuguese vineyards soils: suggesting a ‘Galleria-Tenebrio-bait method’ as bait-insects Galleria and Tenebrio significantly underestimate the respective recoveries of Metarhizium (robertsii) and Beauveria (bassiana)

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are the natural enemies of insect-pests. However, EPF recoveries can be influenced by the soil habitat-type(s) incorporated and/or the bait-insect(s) used. Galleriamellonella (GM) as bait-insect, i.e. ‘Galleria-bait’, is arguably the most common methodology, which is sometimes used solely, to isolate EPF from soils. Insect baiting using Tenebriomolitor (TM) has also been employed occasionally. Here 183 soils were used to estimate the functional diversity of EPF in Portuguese Douro vineyards (cultivated habitat) and adjacent hedgerows (semi-natural habitat), using the TM bait method. Moreover, to study the effect of insect baiting on EPF recovery, 81 of these 183 soil samples were also tested for EPF occurrences using the GM bait method. Twelve species were found in 44.26% ± 3.67% of the total of 183 soils. Clonostachysroseaf.rosea was found in maximum soils (30.05% ± 3.38%), followed by Beauveriabassiana (12.57% ± 2.37%), Purpureocilliumlilacinum (9.29% ± 2.14%) and Metarhiziumrobertsii (6.01% ± 1.75%). Beauveriapseudobassiana (P &amp;lt; 0.001), C.roseaf.rosea (P = 0.006) and Cordycepscicadae (P=0.023) were isolated significantly more from hedgerows, highlighting their sensitivities towards agricultural disturbances. Beauveriabassiana (P = 0.038) and M.robertsii (P = 0.003) were isolated significantly more using GM and TM, respectively. Principal component analysis revealed that M.robertsii was associated both with TM baiting and cultivated habitats, however, B.bassiana was slightly linked with GM baiting only. Ecological profiles of B.bassiana and P.lilacinum were quite similar while M.robertsii and C.roseaf.rosea were relatively distant and distinct. To us, this is the first report on (a) C.cicadae isolation from Mediterranean soils, (b) Purpureocilliumlavendulum as an EPF worldwide; and (c) significant recoveries of M.robertsii using TM over GM. Overall, a ‘Galleria-Tenebrio-bait method’ is advocated to study the functional diversity of EPF in agroecosystems.

Entomopathogenic fungi in Portuguese vineyards soils: suggesting a 'Galleria-Tenebrio-bait method' as bait-insects Galleria and Tenebrio significantly underestimate the respective recoveries of Metarhizium (robertsii) and Beauveria (bassiana).

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are the natural enemies of insect-pests. However, EPF recoveries can be influenced by the soil habitat-type(s) incorporated and/or the bait-insect(s) used. Galleriamellonella (GM) as bait-insect, i.e. ‘Galleria-bait’, is arguably the most common methodology, which is sometimes used solely, to isolate EPF from soils. Insect baiting using Tenebriomolitor (TM) has also been employed occasionally. Here 183 soils were used to estimate the functional diversity of EPF in Portuguese Douro vineyards (cultivated habitat) and adjacent hedgerows (semi-natural habitat), using the TM bait method. Moreover, to study the effect of insect baiting on EPF recovery, 81 of these 183 soil samples were also tested for EPF occurrences using the GM bait method. Twelve species were found in 44.26% ± 3.67% of the total of 183 soils. Clonostachysroseaf.rosea was found in maximum soils (30.05% ± 3.38%), followed by Beauveriabassiana (12.57% ± 2.37%), Purpureocilliumlilacinum (9.29% ± 2.14%) and Metarhiziumrobertsii (6.01% ± 1.75%). Beauveriapseudobassiana (P < 0.001), C.roseaf.rosea (P = 0.006) and Cordycepscicadae (P=0.023) were isolated significantly more from hedgerows, highlighting their sensitivities towards agricultural disturbances. Beauveriabassiana (P = 0.038) and M.robertsii (P = 0.003) were isolated significantly more using GM and TM, respectively. Principal component analysis revealed that M.robertsii was associated both with TM baiting and cultivated habitats, however, B.bassiana was slightly linked with GM baiting only. Ecological profiles of B.bassiana and P.lilacinum were quite similar while M.robertsii and C.roseaf.rosea were relatively distant and distinct. To us, this is the first report on (a) C.cicadae isolation from Mediterranean soils, (b) Purpureocilliumlavendulum as an EPF worldwide; and (c) significant recoveries of M.robertsii using TM over GM. Overall, a ‘Galleria-Tenebrio-bait method’ is advocated to study the functional diversity of EPF in agroecosystems.

Bird use of organic apple orchards: Frugivory, pest control and implications for production.

As the largest terrestrial biomes, crop and pasturelands can have very large positive or negative impacts on biodiversity and human well-being. Understanding how animals use and impact agroecosystems is important for making informed decisions that achieve conservation and production outcomes. Yet, few studies examine the tradeoffs associated with wildlife in agricultural systems. We examined bird use of organic apple orchards as well as how birds influence fruit production positively through control of an economically important insect pest (codling moth (Cydia pomonella)) and negatively through fruit damage. We conducted transect surveys, observed bird frugivory and assessed bird and insect damage with an exclosure experiment in small organic farms in western Colorado. We found that organic apple orchards in this region provide habitat for a large number of both human-adapted and human-sensitive species and that the species in orchards were relatively similar to adjacent hedgerow habitats. Habitat use did not vary as a function of orchard characteristics, and apple damage by both birds and C. pomonella was consistent within and across apple blocks that varied in size. A small subset of bird species was observed foraging on apples yet the effect of birds as agents of fruit damage appeared rather minor and birds did not reduce C. pomonella damage. Our results demonstrate that organic apple orchards have the potential to provide habitat for diverse bird communities, including species typically sensitive to human activities, with little apparent effect on production.

The effects of grazing intensity on soil processes in a Mediterranean protected area.

We investigated the temporal and among-site differentiation of soil functionality properties in fields under different grazing intensities (heavy and light) and compared them to those found in their adjacent hedgerows, consisting either of wooden shrubs (Rubus canescens) or of high trees (Populus sp.), during the cold and humid seasons of the year. We hypothesized that greater intensity of grazing would result in higher degradation of the soil system. The grazing factor had a significant effect on soil organic C and N, microbial biomass C, microbial biomass N, microbial activity, and β-glucosidase, while acid phosphatase and urease activity were not found to differ significantly among the management systems. The intensity of grazing affected mostly the chemical properties of soil (organic C and N) and altered significantly the composition of the soil microbial community, as lower C:N ratio of the microbial biomass indicates the dominance of bacteria over fungi in the heavily grazed fields. All estimated biological variables presented higher values in the humid period, although the pattern of differentiation was similar at both sampling times, revealing that site-specific variations were more pronounced than the time-specific ones. Our results indicate that not all C, N, and P dynamics were equally affected by grazing. Management plans applied to pastures, in order to improve soil quality properties and accelerate passive reforestation, should aim at the improvement of soil parameters related primarily to C and secondly to N cycle.

Bayesian inferences of arthropod movements between hedgerows and orchards

Hedgerows are agro-ecological infrastructures that are assumed to enhance biodiversity in an agro-ecosystem and the control of crop pests. However, local movements of arthropod predators from hedgerows to crops remain poorly understood. In this research, these movements were analysed in eleven commercial apple orchards over two weeks in the spring of 2014. Predators were indirectly marked by spraying ovalbumin on the hedgerows. Canopy and ground predators were captured using beating and pitfall traps, respectively, in both the orchards and the hedgerows, and individuals marked by ovalbumin were detected using ELISAs. Approximately 20% of the 1272 captured predators were identified as marked. Movements between the orchards and the hedgerows of the most abundant predator taxa (Forficula auricularia, Chrysoperla sp., Philodromus spp., Cheiracanthium mildei, and Nebria brevicollis) and of four guilds (ground spiders, ground beetles, canopy spiders and canopy insects) captured across the eleven locations were estimated using a Bayesian model. On one hand, canopy insects and ground spiders were less likely to stay in the hedgerows than were the canopy spiders and ground beetles. On the other hand, the canopy spiders and ground beetles were less likely to stay in the orchard than were the canopy insects and ground spiders. However, there were exceptions within these groups: F. auricularia and N. brevicollis exhibited a high probability of staying in the hedgerow and in the orchard, respectively. Overall, these results demonstrate the frequent movements that occurred between the orchard and the adjacent hedgerow in a diverse range of predator taxa. The probabilities of movement were further affected by the characteristics of the orchard for most taxa. Therefore, agro-environmental measures that focus on hedgerow management require consideration of the local arthropod predator communities and their characteristics to enhance pest control in apple orchards.

Enhancing the Biodiversity of Ditches in Intensively Managed UK Farmland.

Drainage ditches, either seasonally flooded or permanent, are commonly found on intensively managed lowland farmland in the UK. They are potentially important for wetland biodiversity but, despite their ubiquity, information on their biodiversity and management in the wider countryside is scarce. We surveyed 175 ditches for their physical and chemical characteristics, spatial connectivity, plant communities and aquatic invertebrates in an area of intensively managed farmland in Oxfordshire, UK and collected information on ditch management from farmer interviews. Water depth and shade had a small impact on the diversity of plant and invertebrate communities in ditches. Increased shade over the ditch channel resulted in reduced taxonomic richness of both channel vegetation and aquatic invertebrates and channel vegetation cover was lower at shaded sites. Invertebrate taxonomic richness was higher when water was deeper. Spatial connectivity had no detectable impact on the aquatic invertebrate or plant communities found in ditches. The number of families within the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT), which contain many pollution-sensitive species, declined with decreasing pH of ditch water. As time since dredging increased, the number of EPT families increased in permanent ditches but decreased in temporary ditches. Whether or not a ditch was in an agri-environment scheme had little impact on the reported management regime or biodiversity value of the ditch. Measures for increasing the amount of water in ditches, by increasing the water depth or promoting retention of water in ditches, could increase the biodiversity value of ditches in agricultural land. Some temporary ditches for specialised species should be retained. Reducing the amount of shade over narrow ditches by managing adjacent hedgerows is also likely to increase the species diversity of plant and invertebrate communities within the ditch. We recommend that to preserve or enhance the biodiversity value of ditches, and improve their ecosystem service delivery, management prescriptions for hedgerows adjacent to ditches should differ from those aimed at hedgerows only.

Pollination services from field-scale agricultural diversification may be context-dependent

Diversification of field edges is widely used as a strategy to augment pollinator populations and, in turn, supplement crop pollination needs. Hedgerow plantings, a commonly applied field-scale diversification technique, have been shown to increase wild bee richness within edges and into crop fields; however, their effects on pollination services in mass-flowering, pollinator-dependent crops typical of large-scale commercial monocultures are less well-known. We evaluated the indirect contribution of hedgerows to sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seed set vis-á-vis wild bee abundance and the interaction between wild bees and managed honey bee pollinators. Although wild bee species richness and the interaction between wild and managed pollinators were significantly associated with augmented seed set, these factors were unrelated to whether a hedgerow was present. The pollinator species foraging within crop fields differed significantly from those found within adjacent hedgerows and bare or weedy field edges, with hedgerows supporting higher species richness than crop fields or unenhanced edges. However, in an independent data set, greater numbers of sunflower-pollinating bees were found in hedgerows than in control edges. Hedgerows may therefore help these crop-pollinating species persist in the landscape. Our findings suggest that hedgerows may not always simultaneously achieve crop pollination and wild bee conservation goals; instead, the benefits of hedgerows may be crop- and region-specific. We recommend evaluation of hedgerow benefits in a variety of crop and landscape contexts to improve their ability to meet ecosystem-service provisioning needs.

Rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in Ontario, Canada soybean agroecosystems: assemblage diversity, composition, seasonality, and habitat use

AbstractRove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) are recognised as important components of agroecosystems and are best known for their contribution to biological control as predators of arthropod pests. Unfortunately, knowledge of their bionomics in North American agroecosystems is sparse. Therefore, soybean-hedgerow agroecosystems in Ontario, Canada, were surveyed in 2009–2010 to identify common, widespread members of the assemblage and characterise their seasonal activity patterns. The potential for refuge habitat in adjacent hedgerows was assessed outside of the growing season. The rove beetle assemblage of soybeans during the growing season was found to be a less diverse subset of that found in surrounding hedgerow areas, especially with respect to native species. Both native and non-native species were common (&gt;1% activity density). Based on literature records, most common species were predaceous, univoltine, and adult overwintering. Most common species exhibited the highest activity density midway through the growing season and all were detected in hedgerow habitats outside the growing season. Comparisons with the staphylinid fauna of other North American agroecosystems revealed several common species to dominate assemblages under a wide variety of conditions. This research provides a framework for future agroecological studies of this poorly understood, but abundant and diverse, assemblage of beetles.

Hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) community of a cultivated arable field and the adjacent hedgerow near Debrecen, Hungary

A hoverfly (Syrphidae) community was investigated in a cultivated wheat field and the adjacent hedgerow near Debrecen (Hungary). We monitored the change of species richness and abundance of hoverflies along three transects in the hedgerow and in the wheat field in different distances (10 m, 20 m) from the hedgerow. The effect of sampling methods on the number of hoverfly species and individuals was analyzed. Two sampling methods were used to catch hoverflies: netting and pan traps. The whole sampling period was divided into three subperiods, which are early (22nd April–2nd June), middle (11th June–1st August) and late (6th August–11th September). Altogether 1,214 individuals of 22 species were sampled. Fourteen species with 78% of individuals belonged to the aphidophagous group, feeding on aphids as larvae. Altogether 861 individuals of 22 hoverfly species were sampled by netting and 353 individuals of 10 species by pan traps. The total number of hoverfly species was significant lower in the late period than in the early. The total abundance was higher in the middle period compared to the early. The species richness and abundance of aphidophagous species followed a similar pattern as the total species values. The species richness and abundance of hoverflies were significant higher in 10 m and 20 m distance in the wheat field than along the hedgerow. The results suggest that the pan traps were less efficient in the hedgerow than the netting, but in the wheat field they sampled more hoverflies because of visually alluring effect on hoverflies in the absence of flowers.

The conservation value of restored landfill sites in the East Midlands, UK for supporting bird communities

There has been a rapid decline of grassland bird species in the UK over the last four decades. In order to stem declines in biodiversity such as this, mitigation in the form of newly created habitat and restoration of degraded habitats is advocated in the UK biodiversity action plan. One potential restored habitat that could support a number of bird species is re-created grassland on restored landfill sites. However, this potential largely remains unexplored. In this study, birds were counted using point sampling on nine restored landfill sites in the East Midlands region of the UK during 2007 and 2008. The effects of restoration were investigated by examining bird species composition, richness, and abundance in relation to habitat and landscape structure on the landfill sites in comparison to paired reference sites of existing wildlife value. Twelve bird species were found in total and species richness and abundance on restored landfill sites was found to be higher than that of reference sites. Restored landfill sites support both common grassland bird species and also UK Red List bird species such as skylark Alauda arvensis, grey partridge Perdix perdix, lapwing Vanellus vanellus, tree sparrow, Passer montanus, and starling Sturnus vulgaris. Size of the site, percentage of bare soil and amount of adjacent hedgerow were found to be the most influential habitat quality factors for the distribution of most bird species. Presence of open habitat and crop land in the surrounding landscape were also found to have an effect on bird species composition. Management of restored landfill sites should be targeted towards UK Red List bird species since such sites could potentially play a significant role in biodiversity action planning.

Do field margin characteristics influence songbird nest‐site selection in adjacent hedgerows?

Capsule Dunnocks Prunella modularis showed a preference for nesting in hedgerows adjacent to sown rather than grass margins on four farms in southwest England.

Arthropod diversity as affected by agricultural management (organic and conventional farming), plant species, and landscape context

Arthropods were inventoried in crop fields and adjacent woody hedgerows of organic and conventional farms situated in south-central Ontario, Canada. The objective was to assess the total abundance, family richness, and composition of beneficial and phytophagous arthropods in the 2 farming systems and to examine the contributions of the vegetation present and landscape features on arthropod abundance and composition. Two hundred and forty sticky traps were installed (24 sites) and 170 sweep net collections were conducted (17 sites) in crop fields and adjacent woody hedgerows of organic and conventional sites. A total of 30 807 individual arthropods belonging to 131 families were recorded during the study. No spatial autocorrelation was detected among the arthropod samples. The study showed that beneficial and phytophagous arthropod abundance differed between organic and conventional sites (only with sweep net) but family richness did not. Beneficial arthropods were more abundant in woody hedgerows, while phytophagous arthropods were more abundant in crop fields. This study also demonstrated a strong relationship between plant and arthropod composition. Habitats (total old field cover, total hedgerow length, and Shannon diversity index, all within 250 m radius) in the surrounding landscape influenced arthropod composition but were not leading factors in explaining richness and abundance. It is therefore of prime importance to consider both local factors (management practices and local vegetation) and regional factors such as landscape features as explanatory variables when attempting to explain biodiversity.

Importance of hedgerows as habitat corridors for forest plants in agricultural landscapes

Hedgerows have been proposed as habitat and conservation corridor for forest plant species, but their importance for the survival of these species is still not clear. The objective of our study was to examine the frequency of occurrence of forest species and total forest species richness in different parts of the hedgerows, and to relate these patterns of occurrence to the species’ habitat requirements and life history traits. We surveyed in total 130 forest-hedgerow transects in North-western Germany, including three age classes. About 77% of all forest plant species (including some endangered taxa) occurring in the neighbouring forests were also found in the adjacent hedgerows. In all age classes, there was a negative relationship between distance from the forest-hedgerow ecotone and the number of species. Ancient hedgerows were not significantly more species-rich than more recent ones. Within 100 m distance from the forest edge, forest species richness increased with an increasing number of species in the nearby forest and with an increasing cover of the tree canopy as well as a decreasing cover of the shrub layer. Species with high frequency had comparatively high Ellenberg indicator values for light, and were mostly associated with anemochorous and epizoochorous seed dispersal. The frequency of occurrence in hedgerows of species with common attributes was partly in agreement, partly in disagreement with the results obtained in previous studies. We conclude that patterns are difficult to generalize, probably due to a strong regional variation in the pool of forest species and in the specific environments of both forests and hedgerows.

Type ‘A’ and ‘B’ recovery revisited: The role of field-edge habitats for Collembola and macroarthropod community recovery after insecticide treatment

Previous work has identified two patterns of arthropod recovery after insecticide applications to arable crops: dispersal-mediated recolonisation from untreated areas (Type A) and recolonisation within treated areas assisted by reduced predation (Type B). In this study, connectivity between field-edge habitats was manipulated using barriers to investigate whether a crop edge and adjacent hedgerow influence recolonisation of an insecticide-treated crop by surface-active Collembola and other arthropods. Collembola recovery patterns differed among closely-related taxa. Epigeic collembolan and macroarthropod communities were more diverse and abundant, and rates of artificial prey predation were higher, in sprayed crop areas connected to both hedgerow and unsprayed crop edge than in sprayed areas connected to the unsprayed edge alone. These findings indicate that effectiveness of unsprayed crop edges as sources of field recolonisation may depend on adjoining field margin habitats. An assumption in risk assessment that unsprayed crop edges assist population recovery within treated areas is not supported.

Soil quality variables in organically and conventionally cultivated field sites

This study aimed to answer the following questions (a) which of the soil variables (chemical, biological, enzyme activities and potential metabolic profile based on the Biolog method) could be used as indicators reflecting differences in soil quality between organically and conventionally managed asparagus fields, (b) how the duration of organic management affects these soil variables and (c) in what extent the soil quality in organic fields is comparable to that in hedgerows. The study included four organically cultivated fields which differed in the time they enter organic treatment: 6 years (O6), 5 years (O5), 3 years (O3) and 2 years (O2), the closest to them hedgerow (Ho), a conventionally managed field (CF) and its adjacent hedgerow (Hc). Among the chemical and biological variables, those contributing for most to the discrimination of the organic and conventional fields were mainly microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN) and secondly variables related to N-cycle (NO 3, N organic, rate of N mineralization). MBC and MBN were higher in organic and conventional areas, respectively, reflecting differences in the structure of their microbial communities. The chemical and biological variables did not differ among O3, O5 and O6 fields, while low values of organic N, rate of N mineralization and extractable P was recorded in O2 area. The enzyme activities of amidohydrolases ( l-asparaginase, l-glutaminase, urease) and phosphatases (alkaline and acid phosphatase) were by far higher in organic areas than in the conventional one. The activities of amidohydrolases and alkaline phosphatase changed in a similar way, exhibiting higher values in O3 and O5 areas while between the oldest (O6) and the newest (O2) area no differences were recorded. While the suppress of enzyme activities in O2 was related to low inputs due to transition, the negative feedback between supply of N and P and activities in O6 was a possible explanation. The activity of acid phosphatase increased from the newest to oldest organic areas. The potential functional diversity and substrate evenness did not differ among sampling areas. Differences between areas were recorded only in relation to the carbohydrates' consumption. The soil quality of hedgerows seems to be completely different than that of the arable land in terms of all studied variables. Also, significant differences were recorded between the two hedgerows, a fact that could be related to the different management practices applied in the neighboring fields.

Diet Composition and Significance of Earthworms as Food of Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones)

We gathered dietary data for several harvestman species in a soybean field and adjacent hedgerow habitats to assess the extent of their polyphagy. A total of 1032 harvestmen, predominantly Leiobunum spp., were observed during almost 50 search hours over two seasons. More harvestmen and increased foraging activity were observed in the hedgerow than in the soybean field, and in both habitats harvestmen were more active at night. Earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) were the prey items most frequently recorded as being consumed by all observed harvestman species in both habitats (47.1%), while fruit and other plant material constituted 18.1% of the records. Feeding trials conducted with female harvestmen, Hadrobunus maculosus (Wood), revealed that these arachnids were not capable of subduing live earthworms, suggesting that consumption of these in the field might be limited to scavenging. Implications of harvestman foraging for local food web dynamics are discussed.

Root distribution ofDactyladenia (Acioa) barteri andSenna (Cassia) Siamea in alley cropping on Ultisol. II. Impact on water regime and consequences for experimental design

Tensiometer measurements were carried out on a typic Paleudult in the humid forest zone of south eastern Nigeria in an alley cropping trial using fertilized and unfertilizedDactyladenia (Acioa) barteri andSenna (Cassia) siamea as hedgerow trees and a no-tree control. The interrow space of alley cropped and no-tree control plots were planted to maize/cassava intercrop. Water withdrawal during short dry spells and the dry season occurred fastest in the no-tree control plot and resembled the pattern in the adjacentS. siamea alley cropping. Previous root investigations showed that the whole no-tree control plot was within the range of root propagation of the adjacent hedgerow trees. Installation of a 70 cm deep root barrier led to a retarded water withdrawal in unfertilized no-tree control plots to a depth of 150 cm. In fertilized no-tree control this retardation occurred to a depth of 110 cm, while at 130 and 150 cm water withdrawal with root barriers was faster than without barriers. Results indicate thatS. siamea depleted water resources in the no-tree control plot and shortened the growing season of cassava. Restricting roots to the assigned plot size can reduce competition for water in adjacent plots even in layers below the depth of the barrier but can also induce compensative water withdrawal from layers which were not necessarily affected by the barrier. It appears that currently no standard methodology is available to conduct agroforestry trials without the risk of invalidation through root interference. Methods to determine minimum plot size in order to reduce the risk of invalidation and misinterpretation of results are suggested.

Root distribution ofDactyladenia (Acioa) barteri andSenna (Cassia) siamea in alley cropping on Ultisol. I. Implication for field experimentation

Root observations were carried out on a typic Paleudult in the humid forest zone of south eastern Nigeria in an alley cropping trial usingDactyladenia (Acioa) barteri andSenna (Cassia) siamea as hedgerow trees and the interrow space planted to maize/cassava intercrop. Rooting depth ofD. barteri andS. siamea exceeded 1.6 m. Lateral root propagation ofS. siamea was 15 m, and ofD. barteri was 5 m from the hedgerows. The whole no-tree control plot was within the range of roots of the adjacent hedgerows. Rooting density and depth ofS. siamea in the no-tree control plot was generally higher than of cassava.S. siamea and cassava root density were inversely correlated. Assuming radial symmetry of root propagation, water and nutrients were available from an area 6.1 and 2.3 times larger than the allocated plot size ofS. siamea andD. barteri, respectively. Data obtained in alley cropping trials, not considering lateral root propagation, can be invalidated through exploitation of the no-tree control treatment and nutrient acquisition by hedgerow species from a larger area than allocated, thus underestimating and overestimating the performances of the respective treatments. Possible alternative measures for avoiding root interference are discussed but no good solution can be given.