CHANGES IN COLLEMBOLA RICHNESS AND DIVERSITY ALONG A GRADIENTOF LAND-USE INTENSITY : A pan European study
Changes in Collembola richness and diversity along a land-use intensity gradient were studied in eight European countries (Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Hungary, UK, Ireland and Finland). In each country a set of six 1 km2 land-use units (LUUs) were selected forming a gradient ranging from natural forest to agricultural dominated landscapes, passing through mixed-use ones. In addition to data on Collembola, detailed information regarding landscape diversity and structure was collected for each LUU. A total of 47,774 individuals were identified from 281 species. Collembola reacted not only to changes in the diversity of the landscape, but also to the composition of that diversity and…
Towards a landscape scale management of pesticides: ERA using changes in modelled occupancy and abundance to assess long-term population impacts of pesticide
Pesticides are regulated in Europe and this process includes an environmental risk assessment (ERA) for nontarget arthropods (NTA). Traditionally a non-spatial or field trial assessment is used. In this study we exemplify the introduction of a spatial context to the ERA as well as suggest a way in which the results of complex models, necessary for proper inclusion of spatial aspects in the ERA, can be presented and evaluated easily using abundance and occupancy ratios (AOR). We used an agent-based simulation system and an existing model for a wide-spread carabid beetle (Bembidion lampros), to evaluate the impact of a fictitious highly-toxic pesticide on population density and the distributi…
Ecological network analysis reveals the inter-connection between soil biodiversity and ecosystem function as affected by land use across Europe
Soil organisms are considered drivers of soil ecosystem services (primary productivity, nutrient cycling, carbon cycling, water regulation) associated with sustainable agricultural production. Soil biodiversity was highlighted in the soil thematic strategy as a key component of soil quality. The lack of quantitative standardised data at a large scale has resulted in poor understanding of how soil biodiversity could be incorporated into legislation for the protection of soil quality. In 2011, the EcoFINDERS (FP7) project sampled 76 sites across 11 European countries, covering five biogeographical zones (Alpine, Atlantic, Boreal, Continental and Mediterranean) and three land-uses (arable, gra…
Measuring basal soil respiration across Europe: Do incubation temperature and incubation period matter?
The European Commission recognises the essential role of soil biology in soil functioning and delivery of ecosystem services, but information is currently lacking evaluate of how these vary across soil and land-use types at a European scale. This study evaluated the measurement of the initial rate of soil basal respiration (BR) as a potential biological indicator of ecosystem service provision. The purpose of this study was to test ISO 16072:2002 (Soil Quality: Laboratory methods for the determining of microbial soil respiration). In the literature a range of pre-incubation temperatures (pre-inc) and experimental incubation temperatures (exp-inc) have been applied when using the ISO method …
Handbook of protocols for standardized measurement of terrestrial invertebrate functional traits
Trait-based approaches are increasingly being used to test mechanisms underlying species assemblages and biotic interactions across a wide range of organisms including terrestrial arthropods and to investigate consequences for ecosystem processes. Such an approach relies on the standardized measurement of functional traits that can be applied across taxa and regions. Currently, however, unified methods of trait measurements are lacking for terrestrial arthropods and related macroinvertebrates (terrestrial invertebrates hereafter). Here, we present a comprehensive review and detailed protocol for a set of 29 traits known to be sensitive to global stressors and to affect ecosystem processes a…