Effects Of Land-use Intensity Research Articles

Effects of land use on taxonomic and functional diversity: a cross-taxon analysis in a Mediterranean landscape.

Land-use change is the major driver of biodiversity loss. However, taxonomic diversity (TD) and functional diversity (FD) might respond differently to land-use change, and this response might also vary depending on the biotic group being analysed. In this study, we compare the TD and FD of four biotic groups (ants, birds, herbaceous, woody vegetation) among four land-use types that represent a gradient of land-use intensity in a Mediterranean landscape (Mediterranean shrublands, dehesas, mixed-pine forests, olive groves). Analyses were performed separately at two different spatial scales: the sampling unit scale and the site scale. Land-use intensity effects on TD and FD were quite different and highly varied among the four biotic groups, with no single clear pattern emerging that could be considered general for all organisms. Additive partitioning of species diversity revealed clear contrasting patterns between TD and FD in the percentage of variability observed at each spatial scale. While most variability in TD was found at the larger scales, irregardless of organism group and land-use type, most variability in FD was found at the smallest scale, indicating that species turnover among communities is much greater than functional trait turnover. Finally, we found that TD and FD did not vary consistently, but rather followed different trajectories that largely depended on the biotic group and the intensity of land-use transformation. Our results highlight that the relationship of land use with TD and FD is highly complex and context-dependent.

Successional and seasonal variation in litterfall and associated nutrient transfer in semi-evergreen tropical forests of SE Mexico

Forest conversion to agriculture and grassland has been widespread in south-eastern Mexico. The productivity, functioning and carbon dynamics of secondary forests growing after abandonment of agricultural fields are expected to differ from those of primary forests. This study analysed whether forest age and seasonal variations affect the amount and temporal distribution of litterfall and associated nutrient transfer. Litterfall was measured across a chronosequence of semi-evergreen tropical forest in Calakmul, Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, and an index was created to evaluate the effect of land use intensity on litterfall collected in 16 stands from October 2012 to September 2014. Total litterfall ranged from 5.2 ± 0.6 to 7.1 ± 0.3 Mg ha−1 year−1 and peaked in secondary forest aged 10–20 years. Leaves contributed 84–91 % of total litterfall. The associated transfer of carbon ranged from 2.3 ± 0.3 to 3.2 ± 0.1 Mg ha−1 year−1 and of nitrogen from 62 ± 7 to 84 ± 4 kg ha−1 year−1. Carbon and nutrient accumulation in the organic horizon (Oa) increased significantly with forest age. However, carbon in mineral soil (down to 0.30 m depth) did not increase over time. Peaks in monthly litterfall coincided with the dry season, with higher peaks in a year with lower rainfall in the dry season. Peaks were also higher in secondary forests than in primary forests, due to changes in species composition. Higher land use intensity reduced carbon and nutrient transfer through litter in regenerating secondary forests. Longer-term research is required to analyse the climate sensitivity of litter dynamics in these tropical forest frontiers.

The influence of environmental factors on protistan microorganisms in grassland soils along a land-use gradient

In this study, we investigated the effect of land use intensity, soil parameters and vegetation on protistan communities in grassland soils. We performed qualitative (T-RFLP) and quantitative (qPCR) analyses using primers specifically targeting the 18S rRNA gene for all Eukarya and for two common flagellate groups, i.e. the Chrysophyceae and the Kinetoplastea. Both approaches were applied to extracted soil DNA and RNA, in order to distinguish between the potentially active protists (i.e. RNA pool) and the total protistan communities, including potentially inactive and encysted cells (i.e. DNA pool). Several environmental determinants such as site, soil parameters and vegetation had an impact on the T-RFLP community profiles and the abundance of the quantified 18S rRNA genes. Correlating factors often differed between quantitative (qPCR) and qualitative (T-RFLP) approaches. For instance the Chrysophyceae/Eukarya 18S rDNA ratio as determined by qPCR correlated with the C/N ratio, whereas the community composition based on T-RLFP analysis was not affected indicating that both methods taken together provide a more complete picture of the parameters driving protist diversity. Moreover, distinct T-RFs were obtained, which could serve as potential indicators for either active organisms or environmental conditions like water content. While site was the main determinant across all investigated exploratories, land use seemed to be of minor importance for structuring protist communities. The impact of other parameters differed between the target groups, e.g. Kinetoplastea reacted on changes to water content on all sites, whereas Chrysophyceae were only affected in the Schorfheide. Finally, in most cases different responses were observed on RNA- and DNA-level, respectively. Vegetation for instance influenced the two flagellate groups only at the DNA-level across all sites. Future studies should thus include different protistan groups and also distinguish between active and inactive cells, in order to reveal causal shifts in community composition and abundance in agriculturally used systems.

Effects of land use intensity on the natural attenuation capacity of urban soils in Beijing, China

Urban soils are major sinks that provide the services of attenuating and detoxifying environmental pollutants. This significant ecosystem service of urban soil can be evaluated by the natural attenuation capacity (NAC). In this research, we develop a method to calculate the natural pollutant attenuation capacity of urban soils on the basis of 5 chemical and physical measurements. By selecting municipal parks soils for reference, we assessed the spatial and temporal changes of NAC in Beijing city soils under influences of rapid urbanization. Results indicated that NAC was increasingly impacted by land use in the order: parks<schools<woods<residential areas<traffic areas. Sealed area rate and construction age are two main factors affecting the urban soil NAC. However, their roles are opposite. It would take dozens of years to reach the maximum soil NAC by soil self-recovery. The spatial distribution of NAC in Beijing built-up area resembled the age of urbanization. Regional hot spots of NAC corresponded to the land use distribution and the urbanization progress in Beijing city. The developed index can be used to assess the impacts of urbanization on soil ecosystem services of natural attenuation of contaminants.

Contrasting effects of land use intensity and exotic host plants on the specialization of interactions in plant-herbivore networks.

Human land use tends to decrease the diversity of native plant species and facilitate the invasion and establishment of exotic ones. Such changes in land use and plant community composition usually have negative impacts on the assemblages of native herbivorous insects. Highly specialized herbivores are expected to be especially sensitive to land use intensification and the presence of exotic plant species because they are neither capable of consuming alternative plant species of the native flora nor exotic plant species. Therefore, higher levels of land use intensity might reduce the proportion of highly specialized herbivores, which ultimately would lead to changes in the specialization of interactions in plant-herbivore networks. This study investigates the community-wide effects of land use intensity on the degree of specialization of 72 plant-herbivore networks, including effects mediated by the increase in the proportion of exotic plant species. Contrary to our expectation, the net effect of land use intensity on network specialization was positive. However, this positive effect of land use intensity was partially canceled by an opposite effect of the proportion of exotic plant species on network specialization. When we analyzed networks composed exclusively of endophagous herbivores separately from those composed exclusively of exophagous herbivores, we found that only endophages showed a consistent change in network specialization at higher land use levels. Altogether, these results indicate that land use intensity is an important ecological driver of network specialization, by way of reducing the local host range of herbivore guilds with highly specialized feeding habits. However, because the effect of land use intensity is offset by an opposite effect owing to the proportion of exotic host species, the net effect of land use in a given herbivore assemblage will likely depend on the extent of the replacement of native host species with exotic ones.

The Effect of Land-Use Intensity on Surface Temperature in the Dongting Lake Area, China

Land use and its environmental effects can be quantitatively expressed with land-use intensity. In this study, a land-use intensity metric was improved using a geographic mapping method. The relationships between observed rapid changes in land use and temperature in the Dongting Lake area from 2001 to 2010 were examined. The results revealed the following features: (1) The temperature increased when the land-use intensity increased via a hierarchical transition owing to grass and forest land reductions of 26.25% and 11.74%, respectively; built-up land increased by 48.45%. (2) The temperature increase was driven more by the external environment than by land-use intensity changes. Human activities produced larger effects in the western region than in the eastern or central region of the study area, according to the observed variations in the centres of gravity for temperature and land-use intensity. (3) The temperature response to land-use intensity changes was more sensitive in low-altitude areas than in high-altitude areas; the response presented a north-south gradient, possibly due to socioeconomic and urbanisation differences.

Intensive agriculture reduces soil biodiversity across Europe.

Soil biodiversity plays a key role in regulating the processes that underpin the delivery of ecosystem goods and services in terrestrial ecosystems. Agricultural intensification is known to change the diversity of individual groups of soil biota, but less is known about how intensification affects biodiversity of the soil food web as a whole, and whether or not these effects may be generalized across regions. We examined biodiversity in soil food webs from grasslands, extensive, and intensive rotations in four agricultural regions across Europe: in Sweden, the UK, the Czech Republic and Greece. Effects of land-use intensity were quantified based on structure and diversity among functional groups in the soil food web, as well as on community-weighted mean body mass of soil fauna. We also elucidate land-use intensity effects on diversity of taxonomic units within taxonomic groups of soil fauna. We found that between regions soil food web diversity measures were variable, but that increasing land-use intensity caused highly consistent responses. In particular, land-use intensification reduced the complexity in the soil food webs, as well as the community-weighted mean body mass of soil fauna. In all regions across Europe, species richness of earthworms, Collembolans, and oribatid mites was negatively affected by increased land-use intensity. The taxonomic distinctness, which is a measure of taxonomic relatedness of species in a community that is independent of species richness, was also reduced by land-use intensification. We conclude that intensive agriculture reduces soil biodiversity, making soil food webs less diverse and composed of smaller bodied organisms. Land-use intensification results in fewer functional groups of soil biota with fewer and taxonomically more closely related species. We discuss how these changes in soil biodiversity due to land-use intensification may threaten the functioning of soil in agricultural production systems.

Effects of habitat structure and land-use intensity on the genetic structure of the grasshopper species Chorthippus parallelus.

Land-use intensity (LUI) is assumed to impact the genetic structure of organisms. While effects of landscape structure on the genetics of local populations have frequently been analysed, potential effects of variation in LUI on the genetic diversity of local populations have mostly been neglected. In this study, we used six polymorphic microsatellites to analyse the genetic effects of variation in land use in the highly abundant grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus. We sampled a total of 610 individuals at 22 heterogeneous grassland sites in the Hainich-Dün region of Central Germany. For each of these grassland sites we assessed habitat size, LUI (combined index of mowing, grazing and fertilization), and the proportion of grassland adjoining the sampling site and the landscape heterogeneity (the latter two factors within a 500 m buffer zone surrounding each focal site). We found only marginal genetic differentiation among all local populations and no correlation between geographical and genetic distance. Habitat size, LUI and landscape characteristics had only weak effects on most of the parameters of genetic diversity of C. parallelus; only expected heterozygosity and the grasshopper abundances were affected by interacting effects of LUI, habitat size and landscape characteristics. The lack of any strong relationships between LUI, abundance and the genetic structure might be due to large local populations of the species in the landscape, counteracting local differentiation and potential genetic drift effects.

Global effects of land use intensity on the impoverishment of insect herbivore assemblages

The modification of pristine wildlife habitats by land use is a worldwide cause of species extinction, as most native species cannot persist at high levels of human land use intensity. In this study, we gathered 90 lists of local interactions between herbivorous insects and their host plants to investigate the effects of land use intensity on the species richness and taxonomic diversity of insect herbivore assemblages. The effect of land use intensity on these insect herbivore assemblages was assessed using path analysis that controlled for differences in host plant richness, sampling effort, and the taxonomic range of plants and herbivores. We included the proportion of exotic host plant species in the path models to evaluate the extent to which the effect of land use intensity is mediated by the replacement of native with exotic host plants. Overall, we found negative effects of land use intensity on the species richness and taxonomic diversity of the insect herbivore assemblages, and these effects were mediated by an increase in the proportion of exotic host plant species. Since the effect of host plant richness was controlled for, our findings imply that the impoverishment of insect herbivore assemblages due to human land use is even greater than the loss of their host plant. A likely implication of such reduction in the species richness and taxonomic diversity of the insect herbivore assemblages is the accelerated loss of specialized plant-herbivore interactions, thus favoring interactions among generalist species and the biotic homogenization of species interactions across human-disturbed habitats.

Effects of land-use intensity on arthropod species abundance distributions in grasslands.

As a rule, communities consist of few abundant and many rare species, which is reflected in the characteristic shape of species abundance distributions (SADs). The processes that shape these SADs have been a longstanding problem for ecological research. Although many studies found strong negative effects of increasing land-use intensity on diversity, few reports consider land-use effects on SADs. Arthropods (insects and spiders) were sampled on 142 grassland plots in three regions in Germany, which were managed with different modes (mowing, fertilization and/or grazing) and intensities of land use. We analysed the effect of land use on three parameters characterizing the shape of SADs: abundance decay rate (the steepness of the rank abundance curve, represented by the niche-preemption model parameter), dominance (Berger-Parker dominance) and rarity (Fisher's alpha). Furthermore, we tested the core-satellite hypothesis by comparing the species' rank within the SAD to their distribution over the land-use gradient. When data on Araneae, Cicadina, Coleoptera, Heteroptera and Orthoptera were combined, abundance decay rate increased with combined land-use intensity (including all modes). Among the single land-use modes, increasing fertilization and grazing intensity increased the decay rate of all taxa, while increasing mowing frequency significantly affected the decay rate only in interaction with fertilization. Results of single taxa differed in their details, but all significant interaction effects included fertilization intensity. Dominance generally increased with increasing fertilization and rarity decreased with increasing grazing or mowing intensity, despite small differences among taxa and regions. The majority of species found on <10% of the plots per region were generally rare (<10 individuals), which is in accordance with the core-satellite hypothesis. We found significant differences in the rarity and dominance of species between plots of low and high intensity for all three land-use modes and for the combined land-use intensity. We conclude that effects of land-use intensity on SADs lead to a stronger dominance of the most abundant species. Furthermore, species which have restricted distributions are more likely to also be rare species in the local SAD and therefore are at high risk of being lost under intensive land use.

Influence of Land use Intensity and Weed Management Practice on Field Emergence, Characterization and Growth of Weeds in Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria

The effects of land use intensity and weed management practice on weed seedling emergence, growth and characterization of weed species were examined at Ilorin, in the southern Guinea savanna of Nigeria. The study was conducted on three pieces of land with known cropping history, laid out as randomized complete block design with split-plot arrangement and three replicates. The main plots consisted of two cropping systems (sole maize and no cropping in continuously cultivated maize field, sole cowpea and no cropping in continuously cultivated cowpea field and sole maize, sole cowpea and no cropping in natural fallow field) while the sub plots consisted of three weed control methods (chemical weed control, hand hoeing at 3 and 6 weeks after planting and no weed control). Annual broadleaf weeds were most prevalent across the trial fields and constituted above 60 % of the total weed population. Cleome vicosa L., Euphorbia heterophylla L., Passiflora foetida L., Tridax procumbens L., Fimbristylis littoralis Gaudet and Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.)Clayton were prevalent at continuously cultivated fields, Pycereus lanceolatus (poir) C.B.Cl, Phyllantus amarus Schum & Thonn. and Mariscus alternifolus Vahl had high frequency of occurrence at the natural fallow fields while Cyprus tuberosus Rotth was prevalent in all the sampled fields. In all, the frequency of occurrence of weeds was high at the continuously cultivated fields. Land use showed a pattern of increasing weed density in response to increasing land use intensity. These results show that intensive land use increases weed problems on farmers’ fields . The implication of the result on weed management is discussed. Keywords : Land use, weed emergence, sole maize, sole cowpea, follow

Effects of land use intensity on stormwater runoff and its temporal occurrence in cold climates

AbstractThe impacts of land use intensity, here defined as the degree of imperviousness, on stormwater volumes, runoff rates and their temporal occurrence were studied at three urban catchments in a cold region in southern Finland. The catchments with ‘High’ and ‘Intermediate’ land use intensity, located around the city centre, were characterized by 89% and 62% impervious surfaces, respectively. The ‘Low’ catchment was situated in a residential area of 19% imperviousness. During a 2‐year study period with divergent weather conditions, the generation of stormwater correlated positively with catchment imperviousness: The largest annual stormwater volumes and the highest runoff coefficients and number of stormwater runoff events occurred in the High catchment. Land use intensity also altered the seasonality of stormwater runoff: Most stormwater in the High catchment was generated during the warm period of the year, whereas the largest contribution to annual stormwater generation in the Low catchment took place during the cold period. In the two most urbanized catchments, spring snow melt occurred a few weeks earlier than in the Low catchment. The rate of stormwater runoff in the High and Intermediate catchments was higher in summer than during spring snow melt, and summer runoff rates in these more urbanized catchments were several times higher than in the Low catchment. Our study suggests that the effects of land use intensity on stormwater runoff are season dependent in cold climates and that cold seasons diminish the differences between land use intensities. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Effects of land use intensity on the full greenhouse gas balance in an Atlantic peat bog

Abstract. Wetlands can either be net sinks or net sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs), depending on the mean annual water level and other factors like average annual temperature, vegetation development, and land use. Whereas drained and agriculturally used peatlands tend to be carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) sources but methane (CH4) sinks, restored (i.e. rewetted) peatlands rather incorporate CO2, tend to be N2O neutral and release CH4. One of the aims of peatland restoration is to decrease their global warming potential (GWP) by reducing GHG emissions. We estimated the greenhouse gas exchange of a peat bog restoration sequence over a period of 2 yr (1 July 2007–30 June 2009) in an Atlantic raised bog in northwest Germany. We set up three study sites representing different land use intensities: intensive grassland (deeply drained, mineral fertilizer, cattle manure and 4–5 cuts per year); extensive grassland (rewetted, no fertilizer or manure, up to 1 cutting per year); near-natural peat bog (almost no anthropogenic influence). Daily and annual greenhouse gas exchange was estimated based on closed-chamber measurements. CH4 and N2O fluxes were recorded bi-weekly, and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) measurements were carried out every 3–4 weeks. Annual sums of CH4 and N2O fluxes were estimated by linear interpolation while NEE was modelled. Regarding GWP, the intensive grassland site emitted 564 ± 255 g CO2–C equivalents m−2 yr−1 and 850 ± 238 g CO2–C equivalents m−2 yr−1 in the first (2007/2008) and the second (2008/2009) measuring year, respectively. The GWP of the extensive grassland amounted to −129 ± 231 g CO2–C equivalents m−2 yr−1 and 94 ± 200 g CO2–C equivalents m−2 yr−1, while it added up to 45 ± 117 g CO2–C equivalents m−2 yr−1 and −101 ± 93 g CO2–C equivalents m−2 yr−1 in 2007/08 and 2008/09 for the near-natural site. In contrast, in calendar year 2008 GWP aggregated to 441 ± 201 g CO2–C equivalents m−2 yr−1, 14 ± 162 g CO2–C equivalents m−2 yr−1 and 31 ± 75 g CO2–C equivalents m−2 yr−1 for the intensive grassland, extensive grassland, and near-natural site, respectively. Despite inter-annual variability, rewetting contributes considerably to mitigating GHG emission from formerly drained peatlands. Extensively used grassland on moderately drained peat approaches the carbon sequestration potential of near-natural sites, although it may oscillate between being a small sink and being a small source depending on inter-annual climatic variability.

Effects of land use intensity on the restoration capacity of sandy land vegetation and soil moisture in fenced sandy land in desert area

Effects of different land use intensity (phytomass semi-cutting and all-cutting) on structure characteristics of plant community and soil moisture in a natural vegetation enclosure and an artificially-aided enclosure were investigated in a sandy grassland in Northern China. No-cutting (phytomass kept nomal) was taken as the control treatment (CK). Analyzes showed that: 1—Importance value of the dominant species of different cutting treatments was in the range of 0.47–0.75. The influence of different cutting intensities on species composition was not significant for the same fenced method; 2—Both the diversity indices and the evenness index of shrub layer for the two enclosures were in the order: CK > semi-cutting > all-cutting; the similar indices of the plots of same cutting intensity and different fenced methods were smaller than 0.3; 3—The above-ground biomass of all-cutting treatment was significantly less than that of semi-cutting treatment, and CK had no significant difference from semi-cutting treatment; 4—There were significant differences in soil moisture between all-cutting and semi-cutting. The soil moisture of different layers within 80 cm increased with the increase of cutting intensities. In 0–30 cm, the soil moisture in different cutting intensities was increased with depth; however, in 30–70 cm, it decreased quickly with the increase of soil depth. Soil moisture under different cutting intensities and CK was in the following order: all-cutting > semi-cutting > CK. It proved that land use has some regulation and improvement effects on soil moisture.

Effects of land use intensity on soil nutrient distribution after reclamation in an estuary landscape

The effects of time on the evolution of land use intensity and soil nutrients distribution were studied in a reclamation zone of the Yangtze Estuary. Land use types were grouped into five intensity levels according to the extent of human disturbance. We used the “space for time substitution” method to test the impact of time on changes in land use intensity after reclamation and found that land use levels increased quickly within the first 35 years, then slowed. Soil salinity was relatively higher in aquaculture ponds than that in areas with other types of land cover due to the use of saline water from underground and the sea. Soil organic matter, available phosphorous and nitrate nitrogen were relatively high in agricultural fields, while nitrate nitrogen was highly variable in agricultural fields. The variations of all four soil properties in the built-up zone were much higher than those in the other land use groups. The spatial distribution of different nutrients is the combined effect of time and land use post reclamation. The results will provide a sound basis for future land use planning of newly reclaimed land, and for further studies on ecological consequences of salt marsh reclamation.

Effects of land use intensity on dissolved organic carbon properties and microbial community structure

In the last three decades there has been a major shift in China's agriculture with the conversion from cereal fields to vegetable production, however little is known about the impact of this land use change on labile soil carbon and microbial community structure. We conducted a study to characterize dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and soil microbial community by comparing greenhouse vegetable fields with contrasting management intensity and adjacent cereal fields (wheat–maize rotation) in Shouguang and Quzhou in North China. Compared with cereal fields, greenhouse vegetable cultivation increased soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN), while it decreased the soil pH, particularly at the high-intensity site. The DOC concentration was significantly higher in greenhouse vegetable fields than in cereal fields, whereas DOC composition differed between greenhouse vegetable fields and cereal fields only at high management intensity. Chemical fractionation indicated that DOC from greenhouse vegetable fields with high management intensity was less decomposed than DOC from cereal fields, because the percentage of hydrophobic acid (HOA) as DOC was higher in vegetable fields. Vegetable production significantly changed the microbial community structure in comparison to cereal fields: high-intensity management increased total bacteria, G (+) bacteria and fungi, while low-intensity decreased fungi and increased bacteria-to-fungi ratio. The main factor affecting microbial community structure was soil pH in this study, accounting for 24% of the differences.

A novel index of land use intensity for organic and conventional farming of Mediterranean cereal fields

The conservation of biodiversity in agro-ecosystems is closely related to land use. Intensive land use is considered to be a major cause of biodiversity loss. Most studies addressing the effect of land use intensity on biodiversity have compared organic and conventional systems. However, little is known about the heterogeneity of the management intensity within each farming system. We hypothesise that there is a gradient of land use between and within the farming systems and that an index of management intensity is more useful than the farming system for evaluating the effects of the management practices on weed flora. In this study, 18 pairs of organic and conventional cereal fields were selected in northeastern Spain. The farmers were interviewed to gather information on the management practices performed. We selected the five following variables from these interviews: nitrogen inputs, crop diversity, weed control, seed origin and cereal ratio. We used principal components analysis to create a new management index. Weed species richness was recorded in 10 field pairs before crop harvest. Our results showed that the index values displayed huge variation within each farming system. Index values of conventional fields varied between −0.01 and 1.00, whereas within organic ones the values ranged from −1.19 to 0.18. The index better explained weed species richness than did the farming system. The index values demonstrate the existence of a land use intensity gradient, which indicates that it is an over-simplification to always equate organic farming with low intensity management. Here, we also prove that this new index is more appropriate for evaluating the effects of management practices on weed species richness than the classical organic-conventional dichotomy.

The impact of forest management on litter-dwelling invertebrates: a subtropical–temperate contrast

Land use intensification in forests is a main driver of global biodiversity loss. Although historical state of land use differs between subtropical and temperate zones, gradients of land-use intensities similarly range from unmanaged to very intensively managed forests. Irrespective of similar land use forces in both climate zones, comparative studies on land use effects are still rare. Such studies are, however, promising in discovering more general impacts and geographical specifics of land use intensification. We studied litter-dwelling invertebrates along a gradient of increasing land use intensity in subtropical forests in Southern Brazil and temperate forests in Central Europe using similar sampling designs. Effects of land use intensity on the entire community were analyzed on the level of orders and feeding guilds. In both climate zones a similar number of individuals were caught when standardizes to 100 pitfall trap days, but taxa richness was higher in the subtropics. Moreover, community composition differed between both climate zones. In both regions, land use intensity did not affect taxa richness, but invertebrate abundance was affected in opposite ways; while increasing land use intensity resulted in a decrease of invertebrate abundance in the subtropics, an increase was observed in the temperate zone and this was mostly consistent regarding different feeding guilds. Management practices should take into account that the effect of land use intensity on biodiversity can differ drastically among climatic regions.