Search Results (12)

The floodplain forests of the Danube Delta are among the important European biotopes and are protected in Slovakia under Natura 2000. In order to preserve these biotopes, their restoration is underway, which also restores the original fauna. These biotopes are sensitive to environmental and ecological changes, which is also reflected in the spatial distribution of epigeic arthropods. Between the years 2020 and 2023, we investigated the impact of floodplain restoration on the population structure of epigeic arthropods in eight study areas (two control study areas and six study areas with ongoing biotope restoration). We placed five pitfall traps in a transect for each biotope. In total, we recorded 66,771 individuals belonging to 15 arthropod taxa. We found differences in the taxonomic structures between forest stands with management and forest stands without management (larger number of taxa) using spatial modelling. We also confirmed interannual changes in the taxa composition of epigeic arthropods and their abundance. Over the years of restoration, the number of individual epigeic arthropods decreased. In the years following revitalization, when succession took place, it subsequently increased. Overall, the restoration management of floodplain forests had a positive effect on epigeic arthropods, as well as on their number of individuals, which is important for the preservation of these important habitats in Europe. Full article

The distribution of wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) on almost all continents brings with it a number of negative impacts, the intensity of which depend on the local population density. One of these impacts is the rooting of the soil surface as part of their foraging behavior, which represents an ecologically valuable disturbance to the forest ecosystem. In this study, conducted in 2022 and 2023, we placed 50 pitfall traps across 10 plots at 10 model sites to compare epigeic arthropod communities in areas affected by wild boar rooting with those unaffected by rooting activity. Our findings demonstrate the presence or absence of rooting is a highly significant factor in shaping arthropod epigeic community assemblies. Rooted plots predominantly hosted species from the taxons Araneae, Carabidae, Elateridae, and Diplopoda, whereas plots without rooting were significantly associated with the taxons Tenebrionidae, Opiliones, Gryllidae, and Geotrupidae. Diptera, and Staphylinidae were not affected by wild boar rooting activity. Throughout the study, a decreasing trend in species diversity was observed. Wild boar rooting notably impacted the composition of epigeic assemblages. Full article

The policy of the European Union on land management promotes sustainable agriculture with an emphasis on the protection of biodiversity and the environment. Organic agriculture is the most appropriate alternative to ensure this common goal. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of factors such as pH, moisture, nitrogen potassium, phosphorus and grass herbaceous vegetation on the spatial structure of epigeic arthropods during the spring and summer seasons under organic farming conditions. Research took place between 2020 and 2022, and we recorded 14,988 individuals belonging to 16 taxa using pitfall traps. Between the years 2020 and 2022, we confirmed a decrease in the number of individuals and taxa of epigeic arthropods from the grass herbaceous vegetation to the interior of the field during the summer seasons. This decline was not confirmed in the spring seasons. Phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, moisture and pH factors also had a significant influence on the spatial structure of epigeic arthropods. Our results show that the higher number of individuals and taxa at the grass herbaceous vegetation occurred only during the summer period. This fact contributes to an increase in biomass and, consequently, the yield of crops. Full article

During the summers of 2021 and 2022, we conducted a study in four Georgia Piedmont pastures to assess the effect of the presence of filth flies and epigeal arthropods on carbon and nitrogen emissions and soil nitrogen retention from lax rotational grazing systems under a legacy of low fertilization. Carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and ammonia (NH₃) emissions were measured from dung on days 0, 4, 8, and 15 following depositions. Soil and manure samples were collected on days 0 and 16 and analyzed for ammonium (NH₄⁺), nitrate (NO₃⁻), plant-available nitrogen (PAN), and potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN). Manure samples were analyzed for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN). The numbers of filth flies ovipositing and emerging from manure, fire ants, and epigeal arthropods around the manure were determined. Our results indicated that more than 12 ovipositing filth flies per manure pat can reduce PMN by up to 14.7 kg of nitrogen per hectare, while an increase in the biodiversity and abundance of predators may help to increase PAN and PMN in grazing systems, as well as decrease the number of emerging filth flies. Full article

There is increased adoption of cover cropping and conservation tillage in the USA. Many farmers view these practices as methods for improving their soils. However, different cover cropping and tillage practices conducted post-harvest can have a disparate impact on arthropods within the subsequent cash crop. Field experiments were conducted during 2017 and 2018 at two experimental sites to examine the influences of different post-harvest practices following corn (Zea mays L.) harvest on pests and beneficials in subsequent soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] plantings. Experimental treatments included: (1) tillage via chisel plow (CP), (2) no-tillage in which corn residue/stubble remained on the soil surface (CS), and (3) planting a cover crop into corn residue (CC) following corn harvest. Overall, insect herbivore abundance was greater in the CP treatment. Foliar predator numbers were similar among treatments or of greater abundance in CP. The activity density of epigeal insect predators varied according to site and feeding guild. However, spider activity density was greatest in CP. Stink bug egg mortality due to predation and parasitism varied among treatments. However, the percentage of stink bug eggs that hatched was greatest in the CC during both years. Findings suggest that post-harvest practices investigated during this study will have a similar influence on most epigeal and foliar arthropods in soybean. Full article

Providing food security to meet the growing human demand while improving the biodiversity of arable land is a global challenge. Although semi-natural field margins are known to enhance biodiversity in arable land systems globally, the role that abundant artificial field margins play in maintaining epigeic arthropod diversity within arable land remains unclear. Here, we compared epigeic arthropods within adjacent arable land with an artificial field margin (paved and dirt roads) and a semi-natural field margin (ditch, woodland, or grassland), as well as vegetation community characteristics at a field scale for identifying the ecological effects of different field margin types. Our results indicated the following: (i) Compared with semi-natural field margins, there is less epigeic arthropod diversity and less stable ecological networks within adjacent arable land with artificial field margins, with more herbivores within adjacent arable land with artificial field margins and more natural enemies within adjacent arable land with semi-natural field margins. (ii) Arable land adjacent to a dirt road (DR) maintained more resilient ecological networks than that adjacent to a paved road (PR), and there are more flowering plants at DRs, which attracts natural enemies, whereas Orthoptera is more active at PRs with abundant weeds. (iii) The main factors affecting epigeic arthropod functional groups were the tree layer cover (TC), herb layer abundance (HA), and herb layer height (HH) of the artificial and semi-natural field margins. We concluded that increasing the number of flowering plants and removing noxious weeds can eliminate negative effects on epigeic arthropod functional groups within adjacent arable land with artificial field margins. Delineating a certain percentage of vegetation strips to be a buffer zone in artificial field margins or creating a suitable vegetation community in semi-natural field margins can maintain and protect natural enemies and strengthen the ecological network stability between functional groups. Full article

Changes in the structures of epigeic arthropods reflect changes in the ecological status of their habitats. The aim of this research was to assess the influence of ecotones and environmental variables (pH soil, soil moisture, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen) on the abundance of epigeic arthropods. Between 2018 and 2020, an investigation of different types of crops (Brassica napus L., Pisum sativum L., Triticum aestivum L., T. spelta L., Zea mays L., grass mixture) recorded 31,315 individuals belonging to 14 taxonomic groups and their ecotones, using pitfall traps. The abundance of epigeic arthropods was affected by moisture, pH of soil, and levels of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. We observed a greater average number of individuals in the ecotones than in the fields in the months of September and October and in Triticum aestivum crops. During other months and for the remaining crops, we did not notice this difference. This contributed new information regarding the ecotone rule. Our results suggest that agricultural intensification affects epigeic arthropods in the crop Triticum aestivum, which is important for the production of biomass and also affects crop yields. Full article

Plant protection methods, even those considered as safe for the environment and consumers, may have unexpected effects on nontarget organisms. The effect of broad bean protection, using Pythium oligandrum, paraffin-coated garlic pulp, and extract from grapefruit seeds and pulp on the abundance of epigeic and soil arthropodofauna in a 3-year field experiment was estimated. The effect was compared with chemical protection, which served as the reference to the conventional system. Use of nonchemical products did not affect the overall abundance of the studied arthropods such as Arachnida (except Acarina), Carabidae, Staphylinidae, and Collembola. These methods, however, may favor Formicidae. In comparison to chemicals (carboxin, mancozeb, deltamethrin, and alpha-cypermethrin), nonchemical preparations seemed to be safer for soil mites—they limited their abundance to a lesser degree. Some individual carabid species showed differing responses to the applied protection methods: Amara aenea occurred only in nonchemically protected areas, Platynus assimilis tends to prefer broad beans protected solely with P. oligandrum, while Anchomenus dorsalis prefer plots protected chemically (seed treatment and 3-time spraying). This may be the effect of the different shading of the soil surface as a result of the influence of protection measures on plant growth. Other explanations may include different vulnerability of species to preparations as well as indirect reaction to the occurrence of other taxa (reduced competition and impairment of food sources) or hormesis. Full article

Soil fauna play a key role in nutrient cycling and decomposition, and in recent years, researchers have become more and more interested in this compartment of terrestrial ecosystems. In addition, soil fauna can act as ecosystem engineers by creating, modifying, and maintaining the habitat for other organisms. Ecologists usually utilize live catches in pitfalls traps as a standard method to study the activity of epigeic fauna in addition to relative abundance. Counts in pitfall traps can be used as estimates of relative activity to compare among experimental treatments. This requires taking independent estimates of abundance (e.g., by sifting soil litter, mark–recapture), which can then be used as covariates in linear models to compare the levels of fauna activity (trap catches) among treatments. However, many studies show that the use of pitfall traps is not the most adequate method to estimate soil fauna relative abundances, and these concerns may be extensible to estimating activity. Here, we present two new types of traps devised to study activity in litter fauna, and which we call “cul-de-sac” and “basket traps”, respectively. We experimentally show that, at least for litter dwellers, these new traps are more appropriate to estimate fauna activity than pitfall traps because: (1) pitfall traps contain 3.5× more moisture than the surrounding environment, potentially attracting animals towards them when environmental conditions are relatively dry; (2) cul-de-sac and basket traps catch ca. 4× more of both meso- and macrofauna than pitfall traps, suggesting that pitfall traps are underestimating activity; and (3) pitfall traps show a bias towards collecting 1.5× higher amounts of predators, which suggests that predation rates are higher within pitfall traps. We end with a protocol and recommendations for how to use these new traps in ecological experiments and surveys aiming at estimating soil arthropod activity. Full article

Beneficial arthropods provide many important ecosystem services. In agroecosystems, pollination and control of crop pests provide benefits worth billions of dollars annually. Effective sampling and monitoring of these beneficial arthropods is essential for ensuring their short- and long-term viability and effectiveness. There are numerous methods available for sampling beneficial arthropods in a variety of habitats, and these methods can vary in efficiency and effectiveness. In this paper I review active and passive sampling methods for non-Apis bees and arthropod natural enemies of agricultural pests, including methods for sampling flying insects, arthropods on vegetation and in soil and litter environments, and estimation of predation and parasitism rates. Sample sizes, lethal sampling, and the potential usefulness of bycatch are also discussed. Full article

The challenge of managing agroecosystems on a landscape scale and the novel structure of soil communities in agroecosystems both provide reason to focus on in-field management practices, including cover crop adoption, reduced tillage, and judicial pesticide use, to promote soil community diversity. Belowground and epigeal arthropods, especially exotic generalist predators, play a significant role in controlling insect pests, weeds, and pathogens in agroecosystems. However, the preventative pest management tactics that dominate field-crop production in the United States do not promote biological control. In this review, we argue that by reducing disturbance, mitigating the effects of necessary field activities, and controlling pests within an Integrated Pest Management framework, farmers can facilitate the diversity and activity of native and exotic arthropod predators. Full article

Pitfall traps were used to sample beetles (Coleoptera) in plots with or without inputs of dead loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) wood at four locations (Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas) on the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. The plots were established in 1998 and sampling took place in 1998, 1999, and 2002 (only 1998 for North Carolina). Overall, beetles were more species rich, abundant and diverse in dead wood addition plots than in reference plots. While these differences were greatest in 1998 and lessened thereafter, they were not found to be significant in 1998 due largely to interactions between location and treatment. Specifically, the results from North Carolina were inconsistent with those from the other three locations. When these data were excluded from the analyses, the differences in overall beetle richness for 1998 became statistically significant. Beetle diversity was significantly higher in the dead wood plots in 1999 but by 2002 there were no differences between dead wood added and control plots. The positive influence of dead wood additions on the beetle community can be largely attributed to the saproxylic fauna (species dependent on dead wood), which, when analyzed separately, were significantly more species rich and diverse in dead wood plots in 1998 and 1999. Ground beetles (Carabidae) and other species, by contrast, were not significantly affected. These results suggest manipulations of dead wood in pine forests have variable effects on beetles according to life history characteristics. Full article