Diversity In Agricultural Landscapes Research Articles

Diversity of Parasitoid Wasps and Comparison of Sampling Strategies in Rice Fields Using Metabarcoding.

A comprehensive and precise evaluation of Arthropoda diversity in agricultural landscapes can enhance biological pest control strategies. We used Malaise traps and sweep nets to collect insects from three double-cropping paddy fields. DNA was extracted from the ethanol preservative of the Malaise traps and from tissue samples of selected parasitoid wasps. This was followed by amplification using DNA barcoding primers to prepare high-throughput sequencing libraries. We annotated a total of 4956 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), encompassing 174 genera and 32 families of parasitoid wasps. The ethanol filter method efficiently captured a wide range of information. However, the method has low resolution and may result in a reduced estimate of species abundance. Additional insect species were also identified in the parasitoid samples. This suggests that high throughput sequencing from adult parasitoid wasps can also detect host species, enabling a better understanding of host species and providing insights into food webs.

Seasonal and habitat dependence of plant species, functional and phylogenetic diversity in agricultural landscapes

The biodiversity of agricultural landscapes is under significant threat, while non-agricultural habitats within these landscapes play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation. There has been limited investigation into how plant species, functional and phylogenetic diversity varies across different seasons and habitats in agricultural landscapes. Thus, we carried out a survey of the plant communities in non-agricultural habitats in China's lower Yellow River plain. We investigated the diversity features of plant functionality, phylogeny, and plant species. We compared differences in plant community structure using non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis and tested phylogenetic signal using phylogenetic methods. Our analysis of plant community and diversity characteristics revealed significant differences in plant community structure between seasons and habitats, with the season having a more significant impact. The levels of plant species, functional, and phylogenetic diversity followed a seasonal pattern, with spring seeing the highest values and autumn seeing the lowest. Woodland and hedgerow habitats had the highest levels of diversity, while field roads had the lowest. The community phylogenetic structure of non-agricultural habitats was relatively concentrated and mainly influenced by human interference and environmental filtering. These findings offer scientific support for the preservation of ecosystem services and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.

The Effects of Vegetation Structure and Timber Harvesting on Ground Beetle (Col.: Carabidae) and Arachnid Communities (Arach.: Araneae, Opiliones) in Short-Rotation Coppices

Landscape complexity is a crucial factor for insect diversity in agricultural landscapes. Short-rotation coppices (SRCs) are characterised by high habitat heterogeneity. The impact of vegetation structure on the composition and diversity of ground beetle and arachnid communities was therefore investigated in four SRCs and six reference plots. The study site was located in Hesse, Germany. The invertebrates were surveyed from 2011 to 2014 using pitfall traps, and the vegetation structure was quantified by estimating the percentage cover of 10 structural variables. The impact of the selected structural variables on community composition was analysed during grove growth as well as after a timber harvest. We found correlations between the cover percentages of structural variables and the quantitative and qualitative species composition in both animal groups (p ≤ 0.05). The share of individuals of forest species increased with rising shading and litter cover, while those of open land decreased. The opposite trends were found the year after the timber harvest. The SRCs showed a higher structural diversity compared to the reference biotopes (p ≤ 0.05). This was positively correlated (p ≤ 0.001) with species diversity and the variety of habitat preference groups in both animal groups. The high diversity within the habitat preference groups indicated a functional redundancy among species for both animal groups and, consequently, a high level of resilience within these communities. Little is known about the functional aspects of ground beetles and spiders in ecosystems, and detailed studies are urgently needed. We conclude that SRCs can contribute to the diversification of agricultural landscapes as an alternative to traditional crop cultivation.

Solar parks can enhance bird diversity in agricultural landscape

Solar photovoltaic power parks are a relatively new anthropogenic habitat that will become more widespread in the future. The greatest potential for solar photovoltaic power production is on arable land and grassland. Knowledge on the impacts of solar parks on biodiversity is scarce and spatially limited. We investigated the impact of ground-mounted solar parks on species richness, abundance, Shannon diversity and composition of bird communities in Slovakia (Central Europe), taking into account pre-construction land cover, elevation and landscape context. We recorded breeding, foraging or perching birds on 32 solar park plots and 32 adjacent control plots (two hectares each) during single breeding season. We found that solar parks supported higher total bird species richness and diversity, and richness and abundance of invertebrate-eaters, and that the abundance of ground-foragers was higher in solar parks developed on grassland than in grassland control plots. Ordination analysis showed that solar parks had a different composition of bird communities and thus increased overall species diversity and beta diversity in the agricultural landscapes studied. Plot type and landscape context accounted for most of the variation in bird community composition. Black redstart, European stonechat, white wagtail and Eurasian tree sparrow were identified as indicator species for solar parks. The observed pattern could be due to the higher structural diversity of solar parks. The solar parks studied were designed and managed exclusively for electricity production. It can therefore be assumed that solar parks designed and managed in synergy with a stronger focus on wildlife would have an even greater positive impact on bird diversity in an agricultural landscape.

Effects of land use types and environmental factors on woody species diversity in agricultural landscapes of Jimma Ganati District, Western Oromia, Ethiopia

Nowadays agricultural expansion and the concurrent climate variability jointly jeopardized global biodiversity in general and plant species diversity in particular. Assessing current diversity status of different land uses is a proxy for anticipating their individualistic resilience against future climatic variability. Here we explored woody species composition, diversity, distribution, and indicator species across five agricultural land uses. For this we employed a systematic sampling design to collect phytosociological attributes of woody plant species from 103 plots in four landscapes at a regular distance following transect lines. For comparative diversity analysis, we used linear mixed effects model using the lmer function and subsequently, post hoc pairwise comparisons with the emmeans function of R software. To visualize species composition dissimilarities between the land uses, we applied NMDS ordination based on Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index and subsequently, adonis2 () function (R software) was used for testing its significance and pair-wise PERMANOVA analysis. Linear regression model and multiple regression model by Envfit function was used to test the effect of environmental topographic variables on the species distribution. The result indicated that, 104 woody plant species belonging to 52 families were collected, in which significant differences in species richness and composition among the five land use types were showed. The result reveal that, forest is with the most diversified species assemblage followed by home gardens. However, grazing land is the least in species diversity. Among topographic variables, elevation gradient shows significant influence on diversity and species compositional dissimilarity among the five agricultural land uses in which 38 species were significantly contributed to the dissimilarity of species composition. Species richness and woody stem abundance declines with increasing elevation. However, slope and aspect does not show significant effect on these attributes analysis. Indicator species assessment (IndVal.) showed that, 20 species were significantly (P ≤ 0.001) associated with at least one of the five land use classes in agricultural landscape. In sum, this study highlights that, changes in woody species diversity, composition and spatial patterns are the responses to types of land uses of varying disturbance intensities and topographic elevation as a proxy to different environmental factors.

Development of the breeding bird community of a silvoarable agroforestry system with short rotation coppice strips over a 16-year period

AbstractModern silvoarable agroforestry systems (AFS) with short rotation coppice strips (CS) are considered as a potential measure to increase structural diversity in agricultural landscapes and to promote biodiversity while simultaneously producing arable crops and woody biomass. However, studies investigating the actual potential of these novel land use systems to promote biodiversity are scarce. We therefore investigated the importance of a silvoarable AFS with different CS variants as habitat for breeding birds on an experimental site in northern Germany, which was studied several times over a 16-year period since its establishment. In addition, the habitat function and quality of CS was compared with hedgerows. The results show that establishing CS on arable land creates additional habitats for shrub and tree breeding species and thus increases species numbers and territory densities. Tree harvest resulted in a decrease in species numbers and densities. However, since Aspen rows (for timber production) or native woody species were retained during harvesting in some CS, suitable nesting opportunities for some species remained. A sharp decline in Skylark territories was observed within the open land of the AFS, from nine breeding pairs in the year after establishment (2009) to only two breeding pairs each in 2022 and 2023. Compared to CS, hedgerows were more species-rich and had much higher territory densities. We conclude that the integration of CS into croplands can promote some species of woody habitats, especially if measures such as the integration of trees of different heights or native woody species and sectional harvesting are implemented. However, CS still clearly lag behind hedgerows in terms of their habitat quality. Furthermore, the establishment of CS may have negative effects on threatened open land species like the Skylark. The requirements of these species should therefore be considered when planning AFS. Establishing AFS with CS could especially be an option in cleared, intensively used agricultural landscapes, where CS could represent a trade-off between the promotion of birds and agricultural production.

Amount and isolation of aquatic habitat drive anuran diversity in agricultural landscapes in the Brazilian Cerrado

Amount and isolation of aquatic habitat drive anuran diversity in agricultural landscapes in the Brazilian Cerrado

Habitat heterogeneity promotes bird diversity in agricultural landscapes: Insights from remote sensing data

Understanding the main drivers of biodiversity loss in Europe's agricultural landscapes has been a research priority in the last decades. One of the most important factors promoting biodiversity in farmed landscapes is habitat heterogeneity, which has often proved crucial for avian species and communities. Birds are highly sensitive to environmental changes and make use of a broad range of ecological niches, thus being exceptionally sensitive to the loss of habitat heterogeneity. Remote sensing data are particularly suited to quantify habitat heterogeneity at fine scales over relatively large extents, allowing to consider how different measures of heterogeneity may affect biotic communities at a regional scale. Here, we used airborne LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and satellite multispectral data to derive vegetation canopy height and primary productivity for 118 sites in complex agricultural landscapes in a region in the Central Alps. We computed different bird diversity indices and classified bird species into guilds according to specific traits to analyse the relationship between avian communities and different facets of habitat heterogeneity. Results confirmed that habitat heterogeneity is essential in shaping rich and diverse bird communities, and it is particularly important for several farmland birds. By comparing the effects of canopy height, primary productivity, and specific vegetation features (e.g., cover of grassland, shrub, and tree layers), we showed how different habitat characteristics as well as landscape heterogeneity affected bird richness, diversity, functional entropy, and trait patterns. Landscape and height heterogeneity, estimated by NDVI and LiDAR Rao's Q indices, strongly influenced all response variables, for example, high NDVI values promoted species diversity and ground-understory nesters, and shrub layer was important for ground-understory nesters and forest specialists. Finally, we provide recommendations for conservation practices and mitigation measures to improve bird diversity in agricultural landscapes.

Pesticides reduce tropical amphibian and reptile diversity in agricultural landscapes in Indonesia.

Pesticide use on tropical crops has increased substantially in recent decades, posing a threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Amphibians and reptiles are common in tropical agricultural landscapes, but few field studies measure pesticide impacts on these taxa. Here we combine 1-year of correlative data with an experimental field approach from Indonesia. We show that while pesticide application cannot predict amphibian or reptile diversity patterns in cocoa plantations, our experimental exposure to herbicides and insecticides in vegetable gardens eliminated amphibians, whereas reptiles were less impacted by insecticide and not affected by herbicide exposure. The pesticide-driven loss of a common amphibian species known to be a pest-control agent (mainly invertebrate predation) suggests a strong indirect negative effect of pesticides on this service. We recommend landscape-based Integrated Pest Management and additional ecotoxicological studies on amphibians and reptiles to underpin a regulatory framework and to assure recognition and protection of their ecosystem services.

Landscape type affects the functional diversity of carabid beetles in agricultural landscapes

AbstractAgricultural intensification and expansion has been suggested to be a major driver of the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Recent studies have shown that landscape‐level effects in addition to on‐site management are of significant importance for insect declines.We here compared carabid beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) assemblages of wet meadows among three pairs of highly fragmented ‘modern’ and less fragmented ‘traditional’ agricultural landscapes, using pitfall trapping.Taxonomic diversity and abundance of Carabidae did not differ between modern and traditional landscapes, whereas the proportions of brachypterous, large‐bodied, and habitat specialist species were lower in modern compared to traditional landscapes.These results suggest that landscape type affects functional rather than taxonomic carabid beetle diversity, based on species turnover.To preserve functional diversity in agricultural landscapes, conservation strategies should consider the landscape level in addition to on‐site management, by securing connectivity between remnants of semi‐natural habitats.

RELAÇÕES ENTRE DIVERSIDADE AVIÁRIA E HETEROGENEIDADE DA PAISAGEM AGRÍCOLA

ABSTRACT Studies on birds and their habitats are usually conducted in natural areas (protected areas, forests, wetlands, etc.). In this study, the relationship between agricultural landscape diversity and the species diversity of birds was investigated in an agricultural zone surrounded by natural and forested areas. Observations were carried out in 60 sample grid squares. Presence/absence data for birds and cultivated plants at each sample site were recorded. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index for bird species and landscape metrics for agricultural areas were used in the sample site. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explain the correlation between agricultural landscape diversity and bird species diversity. According to the results, the area-weighted mean shape index (AWMSI) and the number of patches (NP) were found to be particularly effective at predicting bird species diversity (R2 = 0.66). In addition, as the patch number and patch shape ratio increased in a sample area, the diversity of bird species (R = 0.83) expanded. It can be concluded that agricultural zones consisting of small, different patches are rich areas for bird species diversity. Bird species diversity is lessened in agricultural areas with uniform or similar landscape structures consisting of large patches. If the NP in the area is high, but not distributed in a mosaic pattern, then the diversity of bird species is considered weak. Despite the increasing NP and patch types, bird species diversity declines if there is intense human activity in the area.

Avian Diversity in Agricultural Landscapes of SP3 Pangea Area in Gorontalo Province

An agroecosystem cannot function without birds, which perform a variety of functions, including pollination, seed dispensing, nutrient deposition, scavenging, and predatory roles for rodents and insect agricultural landscapes support a wide range of habitats and a diverse population of avifauna. A new transmigration area called SP3 Pangea has been established in the province of Gorontalo. Therefore, the SP3 Pangea’s agricultural landscapes do not support a great diversity of birds. The current study documented the abundance of avifauna in agricultural landscapes in SP3 Pangea from this perspective. In order to describe the variety and temporal fluctuation of the avifauna in the agricultural landscapes of Dusun SP3 Pangea, field surveys were carried out from December 2021 to February 2022. There were 13 different bird species in total. The IUCN Red List has one species that is classified as vulnerable. In the research area, it was regularly noted that some species had worldwide population patterns that were dropping. This underlines the fact that research locations are essential habitats for bird species with high conservation needs. Future studies on the management and conservation of existing bird species in agricultural settings are expected to use the findings of the current study as a starting point.

Tree diversity in a tropical agricultural-forest mosaic landscape in Honduras

Biodiversity decline in the tropics requires the implementation of comprehensive landscape management where agricultural systems are necessarily an integral element of biodiversity conservation. This study evaluates the potential for taxonomic biodiversity conservation within an intensive livestock-agricultural-forest mosaic landscape in Catacamas, Honduras. Tree sampling was performed in 448 plots set up within different forest and agricultural land uses: secondary forests, agroforestry coffee plantations, agriculture, pastures, live fences and riparian forest. All trees with a minimum diameter at breast height of 10 cm were identified and measured. We characterized their tree structure and diversity, and compared tree diversity between the different uses. The results indicate a high degree of tree species diversity: 375 species identified, belonging to 74 families among the 15,096 trees inventoried across 84.2 hectares, including many rare species (40% of the species registered three individuals or fewer). Biodiversity indices for agroforestry coffee were found equivalent to those for natural secondary forests in the Catacamas landscape. Combining biodiversity conservation and agricultural production is possible in human-pressured tropical landscapes through tree cover maintenance. Enrichment practices combining local producers and technical knowledge may improve tree diversity in agricultural landscapes by prioritizing a mix of forest and introduced tree species (rare and with multiple uses).

Tree-based land uses enhance the provision of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes of the Peruvian highlands

Trees can have important impacts on multiple ecosystem services and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. The influence of trees can extend beyond forested areas and into adjacent land uses, however, this is rarely accounted for in the ecological literature. To better understand the influence of trees in Andean agroecosystems, we examined alternative landscape scenarios in the community of Quilcas (Junín, Peru), where we explored the potential impact of replacing tree-based land uses (with crops and pasture) on landscape carbon (C) storage and soil biodiversity (soil macrofauna and ground vegetation). Additionally, we estimated the influence of tree-based land uses on soil C storage (0–20 cm depth) and macrofauna diversity in adjacent croplands and pastures. Tree-based land uses were dispersed across the landscape and occupied 26 % of the area, including a mix of forest patches, plantations, and hedgerows. Given that above- and belowground C stocks were generally higher in land uses with trees versus those without, the inclusion of trees in this landscape is estimated to increase the total landscape C storage by 153 %. Macrofauna diversity also varied across different land uses, being highest in alder (Alnus acuminata) forests and hedgerows, such that the inclusion of trees enhances overall macrofauna diversity (Shannon Index) by 25 % but appears to have a slightly negative effect (−6 %) on ground vegetation diversity. When accounting for the influence of trees on adjacent land uses, estimates for overall soil C storage at the landscape scale increased by 1.4 %, while macrofauna diversity increased by approximately 5 %. Our findings indicate that the addition of trees can greatly enhance overall C stocks and soil macrofauna diversity in agricultural landscapes, and that it is important to consider spatial interactions between land uses to fully quantify and optimize these interactions.

Canopy sampling reveals hidden potential value of woodland trees for wild bee assemblages

Abstract Woodlands can play an important role in supporting bee abundance and diversity in agricultural landscapes. However, in temperate‐region studies, the canopy is rarely sampled, and our understanding of its contribution is limited. To explore this, we sampled bees in late spring with blue vane traps in the understory (n = 30) and crowns of mature Quercus robur (n = 35) at the exposed southern edges and in the interiors (ca. 25–75 m from woodland edges) of 15 woodland sites across an English agricultural landscape. A significant proportion of bee abundance and diversity was found in the canopy: canopy‐trap catches were estimated to be a third as large as understory‐trap catches, and 23 of the 29 sampled species were present in the canopy. Of the seven most common species sampled, four were equally abundant in woodland edge and interior traps; three were more abundant in understory traps, and a single species—Bombus lapidarius—was more abundant in canopy traps. The sex ratio of the most abundant species, B. pratorum, was female‐skewed in the canopy. Additionally, the presence of nearby Acer pseudoplatanus trees in flower greatly increased canopy‐trap catches in woodland interiors. These results suggest that both the woodland canopy and understory have a significant role to play in supporting farmland bee communities; they indicate the importance of nectar‐producing trees in woodland interiors, opening avenues for canopy‐based management; and they demonstrate that a diverse bee community has the potential to exploit canopy floral resources.

Functional response traits and altered ecological niches drive the disassembly of cloud forest bird communities in tropical montane countrysides.

Anthropogenic disturbance contributes to global change by reshaping the ecological niche space available to biological communities. Quantifying the range of functional response traits required for species persistence is central towards understanding the mechanisms underlying community disassembly in disturbed landscapes. We used intensive field surveys of cloud forest bird communities across seven replicate landscapes undergoing agricultural conversion in the Peruvian Andes to examine how a suite of 16 functional response traits related to morphology, diet, foraging behaviour and environmental niche breadth predict (1) species-specific abundance changes in countryside habitats compared to forest and (2) differential changes to the ecological niche space occupied by communities. Our analyses relied on (1) hierarchical distance sampling models to examine the functional predictors of abundance change across the agricultural land use gradient while accounting for imperfect detection and (2) n-dimensional hypervolumes to quantify the expansion and contraction of ecological niche space in countryside habitats. Key traits related to increased abundance in early successional and mixed-intensity agricultural areas included (1) morphological adaptations to dense understorey habitats, (2) plant-based diets (flowers, fruit and seeds) and (3) broad elevational range limits and habitat breadth. Species occupying mixed and high-intensity agricultural land use regimes had mean elevational range limits 20%-60% wider than species found within forests. Collectively, ecological niche space expanded within agricultural habitats for traits related to diet and environmental niche breadth, while contracting for foraging and dispersal traits. Such changes were driven by species with unique functional trait combinations. Our results reveal the dynamic changes to ecological niche space that underly community structure in disturbed landscapes and highlight how increased niche breadth can ameliorate disturbance sensitivity for generalist species. We emphasize that functional traits can be used to predict changes in community structure across disturbance gradients, allowing insights into specific mechanisms underlying community disassembly beyond emergent patterns of functional diversity. By identifying key functional trait groups that align with different countryside habitats, we demonstrate how conservation practitioners can contribute to the retention of avian functional diversity in agricultural landscapes throughout the world.

Agricultural Heritage: Contrasting National and International Programs in Brazil and Italy

Agricultural systems comprise an interdisciplinary field that studies the complex dimensions of agriculture. They should not be characterized only by their agricultural value, as they are part of several social, cultural, geological, and historical domains. We carried out quantitative and qualitative research to present and compare the current state of agricultural heritage programs and their development in Brazil and Italy, contrasting with the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). To this end, the history and the extension of these programs and sites were recovered. Moreover, the agricultural landscape diversity, the development of the regions, research and outreach, along with the communities, entities and government bodies involved were identified. Through a combination and quality of technical assessment and communities’ description, the analyzed agricultural heritage programs prove to be an endless source of useful information to the definition of policies aimed at rural areas, in addition to serving as a monitoring tool for many issues regarding biocultural diversity in landscape. Moreover, it shows where there is room for improvement while the countries are committed to engaging in national policies and entities on the promotion of agricultural heritage programs as major steps for investing in the “greening” of agricultural policies at different levels.

Seasonal variation and crop diversity shape the composition of bird communities in agricultural landscapes in Nepal

Farmland birds are declining globally due to anthropogenic activities, with particularly few studies in Asian agricultural landscapes. Various studies have examined the impacts of landscape heterogeneity on farmland bird composition, but few have considered seasonal changes in bird diversity and examined functional feeding guild assemblages. Here, we disentangle the impact of seasonal variation (summer, monsoon, and winter), cropping practice (mixed crop, monocultural-crop, and fallow land), crop type (rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, and other crops), landscape heterogeneity, and the number of houses and trees on the richness and abundance of farmland birds and their feeding guilds conducted within human-dominated agricultural landscapes of lowland Nepal. We established 116 transects (farmland = 100, forest = 8, and river = 8), and each transect was visited nine times from April 2018 to December 2019, with forests and river transect to test the dissimilarities in bird composition between those habitats and farmlands. We recorded 201 bird species in farmland, 133 in the forest, and 131 in river habitats. Bird composition on farmlands showed more dissimilarity with forest than river transects. We recorded nine globally, and 26 nationally threatened birds in farmlands. Seasonal variation and cropping practice significantly influenced the richness of all farmland birds and resident birds only, whereas species abundances vary by season only. We recorded higher species richness in the winter season and mixed crop fields but greater abundance in the monsoon and monoculture crop fields. Farmland bird richness increased with increasing tree numbers but decreased with increasing house numbers. Sugarcane fields had the highest bird richness within crop species, whereas rice fields had the greatest abundance. Seasons and cropping practice also shaped the assemblages of feeding guilds differently. In the context of increasing crop intensification globally, our study suggests that the governments in this region should encourage farmers to cultivate mixed crops and simultaneously restrict the urbanization of farmlands to protect bird diversity. Seasonality should be factored into analyses aimed at understanding bird diversity in agricultural landscapes.

Artificial aquatic habitats impoverish amphibian diversity in agricultural landscapes of central Argentina

Abstract In central Argentina, agro‐ecosystems constitute the dominant landscape, representing the replacement of extensive grassland areas by crops and pastures. Agriculture has caused the loss of extensive areas of Pampean inland wetlands through drainage and the construction of artificial aquatic habitats such as ditches and ponds. This study evaluated the availability and amphibian breeding use of 194 natural and artificial open water habitats and identified those attributes that affect amphibian diversity (richness, abundance and species occurrence). Interviews with farmers revealed that all artificial ditches, drainage channels and ponds were constructed directly or indirectly to support agricultural activities, and 61.5% of them were created at the expense of natural wetlands. The results from generalized linear mixed models) indicated a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in amphibian richness (14.2–35.7%) and abundance (35.3–86.6%) in artificial habitats compared with natural habitats. Overall, vegetation cover, average depth and edge slope emerged as the most important attributes affecting amphibian diversity in artificial open water habitats. Vegetation cover had a significant (P < 0.05) positive influence on species richness and abundance, whereas average depth and edge slope had the opposite effect. Given the substantial modification of inland wetlands in central Argentina, natural aquatic habitats should be considered top priorities for conservation, and law enforcement is urgently needed to control the drainage and levelling of lagoons, ponds and low‐lying areas. The appropriate design and planning of constructed wetlands, including shallow depth and slightly sloping edges, could greatly improve the ability of artificial wetlands to favour native amphibians in these altered landscapes. Artificial wetlands could offer complementary habitats to natural habitats for amphibians and aquatic wildlife if actions leading to sustainable management and territorial planning are applied.

Arthropod overwintering in agri-environmental scheme flowering fields differs among pollinators and natural enemies

Arthropod diversity in agricultural landscapes is important to maintain numerous ecosystem services. Most arthropods, however, need shelter habitats for overwintering embedded in agricultural landscapes. Habitats created by perennial agri-environmental schemes (AES) such as flowering fields can provide such overwintering places in addition to nesting sites and food resources. However, it is unclear, to which extent arthropods use such flowering fields for overwintering. We assessed the emergence of six functionally relevant arthropod groups (wild bees, hoverflies, wasps, carabid beetles, staphylinid beetles and spiders) with emergence cages on wheat fields and on four types of flowering fields differing in temporal continuity (age and time since last soil disturbance). Wild bee richness and abundance was highest in flowering fields that had undergone soil disturbance in the previous year while recent soil disturbance was clearly detrimental. Natural enemies were mostly unaffected by temporal continuity and hoverflies emerged most abundantly from wheat fields. Carabid beetle richness and densities of carabid and staphylinid beetles were positively affected by recent soil disturbance while hoverfly densities were negatively affected. Further assemblage composition of emerging wild bees and carabid beetles differed between habitat types. Our results indicate that most natural enemies overwinter even in flowering fields with low temporal continuity and recent soil disturbance while wild bees need habitats of higher temporal continuity for overwintering. We thus propose a mix of flowering habitats with different degrees of temporal continuity embedded in the agricultural landscape to make AES more effective towards the provisioning of overwintering sites for ecosystem service providers. We conclude that a better understanding of the overwintering ecology of different arthropod groups is required to counteract current biodiversity decline in agricultural landscapes.