Agricultural Land Use Change Research Articles

Agricultural land change in the Carpathian ecoregion after the breakdown of socialism and expansion of the European Union

Widespread changes of agricultural land use occurred in Eastern Europe since the collapse of socialism and the European Union’s eastward expansion, but the rates and patterns of recent land changes remain unclear. Here we assess agricultural land change for the entire Carpathian ecoregion in Eastern Europe at 30 m spatial resolution with Landsat data and for two change periods, between 1985–2000 and 2000–2010. The early period is characterized by post-socialist transition processes, the late period by an increasing influence of EU politics in the region. For mapping and change detection, we use a machine learning approach (random forests) on image composites and variance metrics which were derived from the full decadal archive of Landsat imagery. Our results suggest that cropland abandonment was the most prevalent change process, but we also detected considerable areas of grassland conversion and forest expansion on non-forest land. Cropland abandonment was most extensive during the transition period and predominantly occurred in marginal areas with low suitability for agriculture. Conversely, we observed substantial recultivation of formerly abandoned cropland in high-value agricultural areas since 2000. Hence, market forces increasingly adjust socialist legacies of land expansive production and agricultural land use clusters in favorable areas while marginal lands revert to forest.

From set-aside grassland to annual and perennial cellulosic biofuel crops: Effects of land use change on carbon balance

Increasing demand for agricultural commodities such as grain for feed and feedstocks for biofuels are driving rapid land use change. We studied the effect of agricultural land-use change on two historical land use types for three different cropping systems using eddy covariance and ecosystem carbon balance approaches. We quantified the consequences of establishing corn, switchgrass, and mixed prairie species on cropland under a recent corn–soybean rotation and on set-aside land planted for 20 years to smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss) enrolled in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). We converted three CRP and three cropland fields to no-till soybeans in 2009 (conversion year) and then established fields of corn, switchgrass, and mixed prairie species in fields formerly cropland or CRP. In addition, one CRP perennial grassland site was kept undisturbed as a reference. We measured the harvestable biomass during the conversion and over the two following years. To account for C removed in harvestable biomass we calculated adjusted Net Ecosystem Production (NEPadj; gCm−2yr−1) as NEP measured by eddy covariance plus harvested biomass. During the conversion year, fields converted from historical CRP grassland exhibited net C emissions between 261 and 340gCm−2yr−1. The sites established on recent cropland emitted 37–42gCm−2yr−1. The undisturbed reference site sequestered (rather than emitted) 35gCm−2yr−1. Cumulative NEPadj over the entire 3-year period at the sites converted from CRP grasslands was 170, 740, and 885gCm−2 for switchgrass, corn, and mixed prairie systems, respectively. At the former cropland sites, cumulative NEPadj was 214, 364, and 446gCm−2 for mixed prairie, corn, and switchgrass systems, respectively. Over this period the reference site had an NEP of −260±30gCm−2. Land use change to biofuel crops thus induced large C emissions, even when renewable energy production was included as a fossil fuel carbon offset. The most productive perennial systems had lowest overall C losses. Accounting for fossil fuel offset credits generated from harvested biomass completely attenuated CO2 emissions in the CRP site converted to switchgrass and partially attenuated emissions in all other converted sites. These results can be readily incorporated into management recommendations for future establishment of biofuels feedstock and row agriculture systems with different management intensities.

Predicting the fate of French bird communities under agriculture and climate change scenarios

a b s t r a c t The use of forward scenarios to forecast the environmental implications of potential changes in climate and land use is a useful tool for policy development. In this paper, we projected the potential responses of bird communities to both climate and agricultural changes. We created four scenarios of agricultural changes (current trends, biofuel development, livestock extensification and agricultural extensification), each developed at national or regional level of policy-making. We further considered three climatic scenarios (A1B, A2 and B1) from among the IPCC 4th Assessment Report scenarios. We assessed changes in bird communities based on the predicted changes in agricultural land use and climatic suitability using various indicators, including the European Farmland Bird Indicator (FBI) and the Community Specialisation Index (CSI). We found that trends in the different indicators differed greatly from each other depending on the agricultural scenarios and policy-making scale. Our results suggest that public policies that promote extensive agricultural practices are more appropriate for improving the fate of bird communities in agricultural landscapes, especially with the regionalisation of agricultural policy. These results provide a readily accessible visualisation of the potential impacts of land use and climate change on farmland bird communities.

The impact of climate and price risks on agricultural land use and crop management decisions

This article aims to investigate the impacts of climate change and of lower and more volatile crop price levels as currently observed in the European Union (EU) on optimal management decisions, average income and income risks in crop production in Western Switzerland. To this end, a bioeconomic whole-farm model has been developed that non-parametrically combines the crop growth model CropSyst with an economic decision model using a genetic algorithm. The analysis focuses on the farm level, which enables us to integrate a wide set of potential adaptation responses, comprising changes in agricultural land use as well as crop-specific fertilization and irrigation strategies. Furthermore, the farmer's certainty equivalent is employed as objective function, which enables the consideration of not only impacts on average income but also impacts on income variability.The study shows that that the effects of EU crop prices on the optimal management decisions as well as on the farmer's certainty equivalent are much stronger than the effects of climate change. Furthermore, our results indicate that the impacts of income risks on the crop farm's optimal management schemes are of rather low importance. This is due to two major reasons: first, direct payments make up a large percentage of the agricultural income in Switzerland which makes Swiss farmers less vulnerable to market and climate volatility. Second, arable crop farms in Switzerland have by law to cultivate at least four different crops. Due to these diverse cropping systems and high government direct payments risk does neither under climate change, market liberalization nor combinations thereof, play a very decisive role in arable farming in Switzerland.

The impact of urban expansion on agricultural land use intensity in China

China's urbanization has resulted in significant changes in both agricultural land and agricultural land use. However, there is limited understanding about the relationship between the two primary changes occurring to China's agricultural land – the urban expansion on agricultural land and agricultural land use intensity. The goal of this paper is to understand this relationship in China using panel econometric methods. Our results show that urban expansion is associated with a decline in agricultural land use intensity. The area of cultivated land per capita, a measurement about land scarcity, is negatively correlated with agricultural land use intensity. We also find that GDP in the industrial sector negatively affects agricultural land use intensity. GDP per capita and agricultural investments both positively contribute to the intensification of agricultural land use. Our results, together with the links between urbanization, agricultural land, and agricultural production imply that agricultural land expansion is highly likely with continued urban expansion and that pressures on the country's natural land resources will remain high in the future.

Changes in Agricultural Land Use in the Context of Ongoing Transformational Processes in Slovakia

Transformational changes after 1989 were primarily caused by major social changes, including those in the economy and agriculture. Slovakia is also affect by globalization processes. The aim of this article is to characterize the changes in agricultural land use and their spatial distribution in relation to the political transformation of society after 1989, using the Dunajská Streda, Levice, Prievidza and Stará Ľubovňa districts as examples. These districts contain all individual agricultural production types in Slovakia. Changes in agricultural land use were analyzed on the basis of the total areas of land use categories for these districts between 1980 and 2010 and for municipal cadastral areas in selected districts between 2000 and 2010. Two basic indicators of changes in land use were selected for this purpose. The first was the percentage increase or decrease in individual land use categories and the second was the dominant processes in land use based on analysis of the main landscape processes. The cumulative surfaces of selected crops and their products were analyzed using a simple continuous diagram depicting the course of harvesting areas between 1980 and 2010. Crop yields were analyzed by linear regression. The tendency for disappearance of agricultural land use was confirmed in the less agriculturally active areas of Slovakia. This decrease in agricultural land use was at the expense of an increase in urban areas and in the processes of greening, forestation and water body construction.

Changes in Agricultural Land Use Affecting Future Soil Redistribution Patterns: A Case Study in Southern Tuscany (Italy)

AbstractLand‐use changes (LUCs) can be defined as the result of the direct action of the stakeholders in a particular area and natural or human driving forces. LUCs can influence various processes within the landscape and can have an impact on landscape functions. An analysis of the impact of LUCs on landscape processes can help to focus future rural policies. LUCs in Mediterranean areas particularly affect landscape functions because of their agro‐pedoclimatical characteristics. The aims of this work are as follows: (i) to characterise LUCs in the last 11 years in a typical Mediterranean area, the Trasubbie river basin (southern Tuscany, Italy); (ii) to extrapolate these changes and create spatially explicit LUC scenarios for the near future; and (iii) to simulate how and where the predicted LUCs may affect soil redistribution. We carried out an analysis of LUCs within the study area and used the trends to propose alternative scenarios for 2013. For these years, we spatially allocated land use (using the Conversions of Land Use and its Effects model) and used a landscape process model (landscape process modelling at multi‐dimensions and scales) to assess soil redistribution patterns. Land use in the study area changed almost linearly between 1996 and 2007, with cereals and annual fodder crops decreasing, and vineyards, perennial pastures and land abandonment increasing. Our LUC scenario extrapolates these dynamics to make predictions for 2013. A comparison of LAPSUS results between LUC and baseline scenarios for 2013 showed an increase in terms of net soil loss and total erosion, and a decrease in terms of sediment delivery ratio. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rapid change in soil C storage associated with vegetation recovery after cessation of cultivation

The total area of abandoned and fallow agricultural fields in Japan has been increasing annually. The change in agricultural land use can alter belowground carbon (C) stocks associated with changes in the types of plant species. The aim of this study was to investigate how the cessation of cultivation influenced the soil C storage in former agricultural fields. The study sites were previously used for rice (Poaceae, Oriza sativa L.) and wheat (Poaceae, Triticum L.) cultivation, and fallow management practices had been in effect for three years under three different conditions: two treatments involved mowing and either leaving the plant residue on the ground or removing the plant residue, while the third treatment involved simply abandoning the field. We found that the former paddy site invaded by rhizomatous perennial grasses had significantly higher soil C storage compared to former upland fields that was dominated by annual grass species. The cessation of cultivation increased soil C storage by about 1.3 times in former paddies, and decreased the content by 0.83–0.91 times in former uplands. The three-year total belowground production was 2.0–4.7 times greater in former paddies than former uplands for each management condition, suggesting that lower C input from the annual grasses caused a loss in soil C at the upland fields. Aboveground biomass removal of the perennial grasses strongly reduced C input, whereas the C input from their high belowground production led to the significant increases of soil C storage near the surface of the former paddies. Our studies indicate that high belowground productivity of perennial grasses can increase soil C storage after the cessation of cultivation.

Land-use change in southern Sweden: Before and after decoupling

Rural land-use in the European Union (EU) is strongly influenced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) because it directly affects the relative profitability of different land-use options. Since 2000, the CAP has been heavily reformed. In particular, in Sweden, the 2003 CAP reform was followed by substantial shifts in agricultural land allocation. However, this land-use change has barely been studied empirically beyond the net changes of land-use categories. In order to better understand the transformation of the land-use system, all transitions between land-use categories and changes within existing categories need to be considered. This article presents an analysis of agricultural land-use change between 2002 and 2010 in a landscape in southern Sweden. The inter-category land transitions were identified and quantified by using a spatially explicit field-level resolution dataset. The intra-category change of utilization intensity was assessed for grasslands by using standard yields and forage consumption estimates. Substantial shifts in chains of connected inter-category land transitions were found between cereals, temporary grasses, permanent pastures and fallow lands. The grassland utilization analysis showed a growing gap between grassland area and forage consumption. These results indicate concentration of agricultural production to better quality land and a growing number of land-idling farms in the region. The CAP single farm payment scheme is discussed in the light of these findings.

Bukovina blind mole rat Spalax graecus revisited: phylogenetics, morphology, taxonomy, habitat associations and conservation

Abstract The Bukovina blind mole rat Spalax graecus is the westernmost representative of the genus and one of the least known European mammals. As currently understood, the species contains three isolates on both sides of the south‐eastern Carpathian Mountains. Our focus was on Bukovina blind mole rats from north‐eastern Romania and adjacent Ukraine, i.e. on the nominal subspecies Spalax graecus graecus Topachevskii 1976. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on 1140‐bp‐long cytochrome b sequence revealed a sister position of Spalax graecus against the genus Nannospalax. Pairwise Kimura two‐parameter genetic divergences were evidently higher between Spalax graecus and the three species of Nannospalax (mean distances ± standard errors between 0.177 ± 0.014 and 0.197 ± 0.016) than between the three species of Nannospalax (up to 0.128 ± 0.010). The two genera were separated by 178 mutational steps. The Bukovina blind mole rat is so far known from 13 localities in north‐eastern Romania and adjacent Ukraine. The most influential environmental factors in the Spalax graecus habitat model were seasonality in precipitation, type of soil and altitude. The elevational range of suitable habitats is 39–848 m. The area occupied is estimated at 15581 km2, but patches with high habitat suitability cover only 1604 km2. The main habitat for the Bukovina blind mole rat is likely to degrade and the conservation needs of the species will soon have to be taken into account. We recommend the inclusion of the species on Annex II or IV of the European Union's Habitats Directive on grounds of its (i) narrow endemism, (ii) small range of occupancy, (iii) small overall population size and (iv) vulnerability to changes in agricultural land use.

The Dynamics of Agricultural Land use Using Multi-Spectral Imageries in Southern Part of Nigeria

The Dynamics of Agricultural Land use Using Multi-Spectral Imageries in Southern Part of Nigeria land use change and modeled the factors for detecting change in agricultural land use in the Southern part of Nigeria. This was with a view to assessing the dynamics of agricultural land use using multispectral imageries in the study area. The study integrated fieldwork and satellites imageries from Land sat Thematic Mapper(TM)1987.

Spatial model steering, an exploratory approach to uncertainty awareness in land use allocation

One evidenced based approach for exploring future agricultural land use change scenarios is Land Use Allocation (LUA). This approach can be used to support medium to long term strategic planning. S...

Empirical Evidence on Agricultural Land-Use Change in Sardinia, Italy, from GIS-Based Analysis and a Tobit Model

An important part of the Sardinian Regional Operational Programme (ROP) 2000–2006 is represented by the policies funded by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), aimed at maintaining agricultural land uses and improving the quality of agricultural land. Such investments, spread over almost all Sardinian cities, attempted to support local development based on the traditional primary sector of production. This article analyses the investment policies implemented by the Sardinian Region through the 2000–2006 EAGGF-based part of the ROP (2000–2006 ROP-EAGGF), in order to assess their effectiveness. This assessment of effectiveness, implemented in the context of other signals concerning local development such as income and urbanization, is very important to address the ongoing policies of the 2007–2013 Rural Development Programme and the question of geographic concentration of investments. The article analyses the results of the 2000–2006 ROP-EAGGF through a geographic information system, by means of a Tobit model, and proposes an analytical and interpretive approach that can be easily exported to other public planning processes in order to implement investment in agriculture.

Assessing spatial uncertainties of land allocation using a scenario approach and sensitivity analysis: A study for land use in Europe

Land change model outcomes are vulnerable to multiple types of uncertainty, including uncertainty in input data, structural uncertainties in the model and uncertainties in model parameters. In coupled model systems the uncertainties propagate between the models. This paper assesses uncertainty of changes in future spatial allocation of agricultural land in Europe as they arise from a general equilibrium model coupled to a spatial land use allocation model. Two contrasting scenarios are used to capture some of the uncertainty in the development of typical combinations of economic, demographic and policy variables. The scenario storylines include different measurable assumptions concerning scenario specific drivers (variables) and parameters. Many of these assumptions are estimations and thus include a certain level of uncertainty regarding their true values. This leads to uncertainty within the scenario outcomes. In this study we have explored how uncertainty in national-level assumptions within the contrasting scenario assumptions translates into uncertainty in the location of changes in agricultural land use in Europe. The results indicate that uncertainty in coarse-scale assumptions does not translate into a homogeneous spread of the uncertainty within Europe. Some regions are more certain than others in facing specific land change trajectories irrespective of the uncertainty in the macro-level assumptions. The spatial spread of certain and more uncertain locations of land change is dependent on location conditions as well as on the overall scenario conditions. Translating macro-level uncertainties to uncertainties in spatial patterns of land change makes it possible to better understand and visualize the land change consequences of uncertainties in model input variables.

Vegetation Database of the Colombian Caribbean Region

Dry and humid forests around wetlands at the department of Cordoba, Caribbean region of Colombia Fragment forests around swamp complexes in several localities at the department of Cordoba were sampled with 77 plots. In each plot all individuals with height up to 1.5 m were censused, measuring their diameter at breast height, coverage and individual height. Inside each area, the herbaceous layer was inventoried with 5 plots of 2x2 m. Observations about disturbance (intervention class, grade, matrix and contrast type) were taken and physical-chemical soil conditions were characterized to complement the characterization with basis on floristic composition and structure. Using the Twinspan program (PC Ord ver. 4) global tables of group segregation were obtained with which a group differentiation was found. These groups showed a floristic composition closely related with the patterns observed on the field. Around the swamps, vegetation is grouped in the class Craveto tapieae-Astronietea guianensis, order Bursero simauroubaeCavanillesietalia platanifoliae characterized by the dominance of Cavanillesia platanifolia. In this humid forest formation (26 Lev), characterized by large-size individuals of Cavanillesia platanifolia, are included the association of Cratevo tapiae-Cavanillesion platanifoliae alliance like forests of Cordietum protacto-panamensis, Cappari odoratissimatis-Cavanilletum platanifoliae and the mixed palm Sabali mauritiformis-Cavanillesietum platanifoliae. There are also other plant communities that can be assigned to the dry forest formation (51 Lev) characterized by the dominance of tree or shrub size individuals principally Cochlospermum vitifolium, Apeiba aspera, Trichilia acuminata, Attalea butyraceae and Guazuma ulmifolia. Among the characterized associations are Cinnamomo triplinervis-Apeibetum asperae, Cochlospermo vitifoli-Attaleetum butyraceae, Cordia alliodorae-Attaleetum butyraceae and Adenocalymno inundati-Astronietum graveolentis. In this group, forests around the swamps in flooded and non-flooded areas (related to the tropical dry forest formation) have two formation types, one with vigorous elements, height up to 18 meters as the associations of the Dialio guinensis-Mataybion elegantis alliance that include the mixed palm Viticis capitatae-Acrocomietum aculeatae and the Xilopio aromaticae-Tapiretum guianensis. The Phillanto elsiae-Tabebuion roseae alliance includes low rise vegetation, woods and residual forests, as the Annono punicifoliae-Pithecellobietum lanceolati and the shoreline Symmerio paniculatae-Bactrietum guieenensis mangrove thickets in flooded areas. Another forest and thicket in flooded areas (5 Lev) are the “campanales” of Caseario tremulae-Samaneetum samanensis and the forests of the Coccolobo costatae-Acacietum huilanae association and the thickets dominated by Montrichardia arborescens. The structural arrangement, particularly classes distribution is related with type and degree of perturbation of the characterized communities; logging and grazing distort the disetaneo behaviour of natural forests where the higher’ percentage of individuals should be distributed in the first classes. The Caseario tremulae – Samaneetum samanensis association is a representative case where the intensive grazing has driven this flooded forest to degradation; this is observable in the height classes’ distribution, with the higher individuals’ percentage (31%) in class III. The intervention grade of the humid and dry tropical forests characterized in this study can be classified from low (26%) to high (13%) predominating the mid degree (61%) making evident the current pressure to which this ecosystems are subjected mainly due to land use change for animal breeding, agriculture or mining .However there are still fragmented forests with acceptable characteristics for conservation which will be a starting point for the formulation of ecological restoration models. This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of the Colombian Caribbean Region (GIVD ID SA-CO-002).

Influences of agricultural landuse and seasonal changes in abiotic conditions on invertebrate colonisation of riparian leaf detritus in intermittent streams

The structure and function of agricultural stream reaches with sparse riparian and floodplain vegetation differ from those of forested reaches, but may be ‘reset’ as these streams flow through reaches with forested riparian zones. We investigated whether invertebrate colonisation of River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) leaf packs in lowland intermittent streams was influenced by the adjacent reach-scale landuse (cleared farmland or forested reserve) within an agricultural catchment in Victoria, Australia. Further, we examined the influence of seasonal changes in hydrology and associated changes in abiotic conditions on the colonisation of leaves by repeating experiments over two summers and one spring. Across these experiments, there were no consistent differences in the structure of communities that colonised leaves in farmland and reserve reaches. In both seasons, most leaf colonists were collectors and few were shredders in both farmland and reserve reaches. Relative abundances of gastropod grazers were much higher in summer than in spring. The structure of invertebrate communities colonising leaves in the different reaches converged over time when streams flowed in spring, but diverged over time as the streams dried and abiotic conditions within disconnected pools became increasingly harsh in summer. Thus, patterns of leaf pack colonisation were influenced by the regional climate causing large seasonal changes in hydrology, but not by reach-scale landuse. The large-scale disturbances of agricultural landuse across the catchment and a supra-seasonal drought probably contributed to low diversities of invertebrate communities in the streams.

Paradigm and ecological implication of changing agricultural land-use: A case study from Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, Central Himalaya, India

The paper scrutinizes that the changes in any sub-system (i.e. agriculture, livestock and forest) have direct impact on biophysical and social processes in village ecosystem of the central Himalayan region. In view of this, we studied the changes in spatial patterns of agricultural land use and dependency of agroecosystem on forest and animal husbandry over a period of two decades. Based on data analysis it was found that the cultivation of some traditional crops has either been abandoned in the area or declined by 25%–85% due to introduction of cash crops viz., potato, kidney bean and apple farming with acreage increased up to 51%–72% in the last three decades. Livestock population of different categories has declined drastically by 17%–75%, and has resulted shortage of farmyard manure, deterioration of soil quality and fertility which leads to un-sustainability of agriculture system. The changes in agrobiodiversity have led to the dramatic increase in soil loss and runoff from the croplands together with the increase pressure on forests. The economic evaluation of each crop showed higher monetary benefit from cash crops as compared to traditional crops. Among all the evaluated crops, the monetary output/input ratio was found highest (3.04) for kidney bean and lowest (1.26) for paddy. Changes in land use and management have improved household income but at the cost of forest degradation, less productive animal husbandry and loss of agrodiversity in the region. Therefore, there is an urgent need to bring desirable changes in agricultural policy, research, land use and efficient management of the resources for maintaining sustainability in agro and Himalayan forest ecosystem.

Evaluation of Carabid Beetle Diversity in Different Bioenergy Cropping Systems

Changes in agricultural land use as a consequence of an increased demand of energy crops have resulted in an increase of maize cropped area in many regions of Germany. The focus on maize as main biogas substrate, has led in some cases to negative ecological and environmental impacts, such as a loss of agro biodiversity reflected in a loss of field flora and fauna biodiversity. The present paper deals with the evaluation of the fauna in different bioenergy cropping systems on two sites in South-West Germany, with a special focus on the species richness of carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages as an indicator for the general status of diversity. A maize field, an agroforestry system with maize and different tree species as well as different alternative biogas crops (amaranth, sunflower) was investigated for their carabid beetle activity, density, and species richness using pitfall traps. Moreover, for an adequate evaluation of the carabid assemblages different common diversity indices (Shannon-Wiener diversity (H’), Simpson diversity (D) and Evenness (J’)) were used. In the case of the maize field on both field edges 8 and 6 carabid beetle species, respectively were trapped, while in the field centre 2 carabid beetle species were trapped. The agroforestry system indicated slightly higher crabid beetle species richness close to the tree strips. The investigation of alternative biogas crops showed no significant differences in carabid beetle diversity. Overall, the results of the different studies showed, that biodiversity of bioenergy cropping systems could be enhanced by the creation of refuge areas for carabid beetles or other animals. Refuges could be either field margins with grass and hedgerows or strips of more extensively used perennial energy crops across the field.

Land Abandonment in Russia

Field observations in two regions of European Russia (Kostroma and Samara oblasts) in summer 2010, reinforced by satellite imagery, provide a basis for a team of U.S. and Russian geographers to investigate ongoing changes in agricultural land use since the early 1990s. The authors highlight the contrasting situations in Kostroma (northern European Russia), where agriculture is limited and in retreat beyond relatively small scale operations in suburbia, and Samara (southern European Russia), where agricultural activity appears to be sustainable, albeit on a somewhat less extensive spatial scale than in the past. The comparison suggests that the change from central planning to unregulated market has not been popular, and that crop farming in both regions has better prospects than animal husbandry. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O130, P320, Q150, R140. 1 table, 17 figures, 21 references.

Influence of Changing Plant Food Sources on the Gut Microbiota of Saltmarsh Detritivores

Changes in agricultural land-use of saltmarshes along the German North Sea coast have favoured the succession of the marsh grass Elytrigia atherica over the long-established Spartina anglica. Consequently, E. atherica represents a potential food source of increasing importance for plant-feeding soil detritivores. Considering the importance of this ecological guild for decomposition processes and nutrient cycling, we focussed on two sympatric saltmarsh soil macrodetritivores and their associated gut microbiota to investigate how the digestive processes of these species may be affected by changing plant food sources. Using genetic fingerprints of partial 16S rRNA gene sequences, we analysed composition and diversity of the bacterial gut community in a diplopod and an amphipod crustacean in relation to different feeding regimes representing the natural vegetation changes. Effects of syntopy on the host-specific gut microbiota were also taken into account by feeding the two detritivore species either independently or on the same plant sample. Bacterial community composition was influenced by both the host species and the available plant food sources, but the latter had a stronger effect on microbial community structure. Furthermore, bacterial diversity was highest after feeding on a mixture of both plant species, regardless of the host species. The gut microbiota of these two detritivores can thus be expected to change along with the on-going succession at the plant community level in this environment. Cloning and sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragments further indicated a host-related effect since the two detritivores differed in terms of predominant bacterial taxa: diplopods harboured mainly representatives of the phyla Bacteroidetes and Gammaproteobacteria. In contrast, the genus Vibrio was found for the amphipod host across all feeding conditions.