@misc{DiekoetterWamserDoerneretal., author = {Diek{\"o}tter, Tim and Wamser, Sabine and D{\"o}rner, Tanja and Wolters, Volkmar and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Organic farming affects the potential of a granivorous carabid beetle to control arable weeds at local and landscape scales}, series = {Agricultural and Forest Entomology}, volume = {18}, journal = {Agricultural and Forest Entomology}, number = {2}, issn = {1461-9563}, doi = {10.1111/afe.12150}, pages = {167 -- 173}, language = {en} } @misc{RundloefSmithBirkhofer, author = {Rundl{\"o}f, Maj and Smith, Henrik G. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Effects of organic farming on biodiversity}, series = {eLS - Wiley Online Library}, journal = {eLS - Wiley Online Library}, doi = {10.1002/9780470015902.a0026342}, pages = {1 -- 7}, abstract = {Changes in farming practices over the past century have had negative influence on farmland biodiversity. Organic farming excludes most agrochemicals, such as inorganic fertilisers and synthetic pesticides, and can be an alternative to conventional farming. A recent meta-analysis indicates that there is on average 30\% higher species richness on organically managed farmland compared to conventionally managed farmland. There are, however, large variation between organism groups, with a positive influence on plants and pollinators and possibly predators and birds, but less influence on and insufficient knowledge for other groups. Using more formal experimental design, focusing on understudied organism groups and aspects of biodiversity, such as genetic and ecosystem diversity, and evaluating effects on rare species would advance our knowledge. The yield reduction under organic farming, resulting in more land needed to produce the same amount, could offset some of the biodiversity benefits of organic farming.}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferArvidssonEhlersetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Arvidsson, Fredrik and Ehlers, D. and Mader, Viktoria and Bengtsson, Janne and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {Landscape complexity and organic farming independently affect the biological control of hemipteran pests and yields in spring barley}, series = {Landscape Ecology}, volume = {31}, journal = {Landscape Ecology}, number = {3}, issn = {0921-2973}, doi = {10.1007/s10980-015-0263-8}, pages = {567 -- 579}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferDietrichJohnetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Dietrich, Christoph and John, Katharina and Schorpp, Quentin and Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Wolters, Volkmar}, title = {Regional conditions and land-use alter the contribution of soil arthropos to ecosystem services in grasslands. Frontiers in Agroecology and Land-Use Systems}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {3}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2015.00150}, pages = {150}, language = {en} } @misc{SeredaWoltersBirkhofer, author = {Sereda, Elvira and Wolters, Volkmar and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Addition of crop residues affects a detritus-based food chain depending on litter type and farming system}, series = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, volume = {16}, journal = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, number = {8}, issn = {1439-1791}, doi = {10.1016/j.baae.2015.07.005}, pages = {746 -- 754}, language = {en} } @misc{HinesPuttenDeynetal., author = {Hines, Jes and Putten, Wim H. van der and Deyn, Gerlinde B. de and Wagg, Cameron and Voigt, Winfried and Mulder, Christian and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Engel, Jan and Melian, Carlos and Scheu, Stefan and Birkhofer, Klaus and Ebeling, Anne and Scherber, Christoph and Eisenhauer, Nico}, title = {Towards an integration of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning and food web theory to evaluate relationships between multiple ecosystem services}, series = {Advances in Ecological Research}, volume = {53}, journal = {Advances in Ecological Research}, issn = {0065-2504}, doi = {10.1016/bs.aecr.2015.09.001}, pages = {161 -- 199}, language = {en} } @misc{RuschBirkhoferBommarcoetal., author = {Rusch, Adrien and Birkhofer, Klaus and Bommarco, Riccardo and Smith, Henrik G. and Ekbom, Barbara}, title = {Predator body sizes and habitat preferences predict predation rates in an agroecosystem}, series = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, volume = {16}, journal = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, number = {3}, issn = {1439-1791}, doi = {10.1016/j.baae.2015.02.003}, pages = {250 -- 259}, language = {en} } @misc{TsiafouliThebaultSgardelisetal., author = {Tsiafouli, Maria and Th{\´e}bault, Elisa and Sgardelis, Stefanos P. and Ruiter, Peter C. de and Putten, Wim H. van der and Birkhofer, Klaus and Hemerik, Lia and Vries, Franciska T. de and Bardgett, Richard D. and Brady, Mark Vincent and Bjornlund, Lisa and Bracht J{\o}rgensen, Helene and Christensen, S{\"o}ren and D'Hertefeldt, Tina and Hotes, Stefan and Hol, W. H. Gera and Frouz, Jan and Liiri, Mira and Mortimer, Simon R. and Set{\"a}l{\"a}, Heikki and Tzanopoulous, Joseph and Uteseny, Karoline and Pižl, V{\´a}clav and Stary, Josef and Wolters, Volkmar and Hedlund, Katarina}, title = {Intensive agriculture reduces soil biodiversity across Europe}, series = {Global Change Biology}, volume = {21}, journal = {Global Change Biology}, number = {2}, issn = {1365-2486}, doi = {10.1111/gcb.12752}, pages = {973 -- 985}, language = {en} } @misc{SerbinaBurckhardtBirkhoferetal., author = {Serbina, Liliya and Burckhardt, Daniel and Birkhofer, Klaus and Syfert, Mindy M. and Halbert, Susan E.}, title = {The potato pest Russelliana solanicola Tuthill (Hemiptera: Psylloidea): taxonomy and host-plant patterns}, series = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4021}, journal = {Zootaxa}, number = {1}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4021.1.2}, pages = {33 -- 62}, language = {en} } @misc{AllanBirkhofer, author = {Allan, Eric and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Inter-annual variation in land-use intensity enhances grassland multidiversity}, series = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {111}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, number = {1}, issn = {1091-6490}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1312213111}, pages = {308 -- 318}, language = {en} } @misc{SetaelaeBirkhoferBradyetal., author = {Set{\"a}l{\"a}, Heikki and Birkhofer, Klaus and Brady, Mark Vincent and Byrne, Loren B. and Vries, Franciska T. de and Gardi, Ciro and Hotes, Stefan and Hedlund, Katarina and Liiri, Mira and Mortimer, Simon R. and Pavao-Zuckerman, Mitchell and Pouyat, Richard and Tsiafouli, Maria and Hemerik, Lia and Bardgett, Richard D. and Ruiter, Peter C. de and Putten, Wim H. van der}, title = {Urban and agricultural soils: conflicts and trade-offs in the optimization of ecosystem services}, series = {Urban Ecosystems}, volume = {17}, journal = {Urban Ecosystems}, number = {1}, issn = {1083-8155}, doi = {10.1007/s11252-013-0311-6}, pages = {239 -- 253}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferEkroosCorlettetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Ekroos, Johan and Corlett, E. B. and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {Winners and losers of organic cereal farming in animal communities across Central and Northern Europe}, series = {Biological Conservation}, volume = {175}, journal = {Biological Conservation}, issn = {0006-3207}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2014.04.014}, pages = {25 -- 33}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferWoltersDiekoetter, author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Wolters, Volkmar and Diek{\"o}tter, Tim}, title = {Grassy margins along organically managed cereal fields foster trait diversity and taxonomic distinctness of arthropod communities}, series = {Insect Conservation and Diversity}, volume = {7}, journal = {Insect Conservation and Diversity}, number = {3}, issn = {1752-4598}, doi = {10.1111/icad.12051}, pages = {274 -- 287}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferBirdBildeetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Bird, Tharina and Bilde, Trine and Lubin, Yael}, title = {Spatial patterns of social spider colonies in Namibia reflect habitat features and dispersal modes}, series = {Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa}, volume = {69}, journal = {Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa}, number = {3}, issn = {0035-919X}, doi = {10.1080/0035919X.2014.941044}, pages = {157 -- 163}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferEkroosSmith, author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Ekroos, Johan and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {Effects of maize on the diversity of arthropod predators and its value as a resource for arthropod fauna}, series = {Nordic Association of Agricultural Science Report}, volume = {10}, journal = {Nordic Association of Agricultural Science Report}, issn = {1653-2015}, pages = {55 -- 56}, language = {en} } @misc{SeredaBlickDorowetal., author = {Sereda, Elvira and Blick, Theo and Dorow, Wolfgang H. O. and Wolters, Volkmar and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Assessing spider diversity on the forest floor: expert knowledge beats a regular sampling design}, series = {The Journal of Arachnology}, volume = {42}, journal = {The Journal of Arachnology}, number = {1}, issn = {1937-2396}, pages = {44 -- 51}, language = {en} } @misc{DiekoetterWamserWoltersetal., author = {Diek{\"o}tter, Tim and Wamser, Sabine and Wolters, Volkmar and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Corrigendum to "Landscape and management effects on structure and function of soil arthropod communities in winter wheat"}, series = {Agriculture Ecosystems \& Environment}, volume = {184}, journal = {Agriculture Ecosystems \& Environment}, number = {182}, issn = {0167-8809}, doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2014.02.006}, language = {en} } @misc{RuschBirkhoferBommarcoetal., author = {Rusch, Adrien and Birkhofer, Klaus and Bommarco, Riccardo and Smith, Henrik G. and Ekbom, Barbara}, title = {Management intensity at field and landscape levels affects the taxonomic and functional structure of generalist predator communities}, series = {Oecologia}, volume = {175}, journal = {Oecologia}, number = {3}, issn = {0029-854}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-014-2949-z}, pages = {971 -- 983}, language = {en} } @misc{EffiomBirkhoferSmithetal., author = {Effiom, Edu O. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Smith, Henrik G. and Olsson, Ola}, title = {Changes of community composition at multiple trophic levels due to hunting in Nigerian tropical forests}, series = {Ecography}, volume = {37}, journal = {Ecography}, number = {4}, issn = {1600-0587}, doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0587.2013.00359.x}, pages = {367 -- 377}, language = {en} } @misc{WilliamsBirkhoferHedlund, author = {Williams, Alwyn and Birkhofer, Klaus and Hedlund, Katarina}, title = {Above- and below-ground interactions with agricultural management: effects of soil microbial communities on barley and aphids}, series = {Pedobiologia}, volume = {57}, journal = {Pedobiologia}, number = {2}, issn = {0031-4056}, doi = {10.1016/j.pedobi.2014.01.004}, pages = {67 -- 74}, language = {en} } @misc{RaderBirkhoferSchmuckietal., author = {Rader, Romina and Birkhofer, Klaus and Schmucki, Reto and Smith, Henrik G. and Stjernman, Martin and Lindborg, Regina}, title = {Organic farming and heterogeneous landscapes positively affect different measures of plant diversity}, series = {Journal of applied ecology}, volume = {51}, journal = {Journal of applied ecology}, number = {6}, issn = {1365-2664}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2664.12344}, pages = {1544 -- 1553}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferSmithRundloef, author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Smith, Henrik G. and Rundl{\"o}f, Maj}, title = {Environmental Impacts of Organic Farming}, series = {eLS - Wiley Online Library}, journal = {eLS - Wiley Online Library}, doi = {10.1002/9780470015902.a0026341}, pages = {1 -- 7}, abstract = {Organic agriculture is a production system that aims at sustaining healthy soils, ecosystems and people by prohibiting the application of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers in crop production and by emphasising animal welfare in livestock breeding. This article shows that organic agriculture is characterised by higher soil quality and reduced nutrient or pesticide leaching compared to nonorganic agriculture, but that positive effects on biological control services or emission of greenhouse gases are less evident. Yield gaps between organic and nonorganic agriculture are on average 20\%, but vary between crops and regions. Given the environmental risks that are associated with intensive, nonorganic agriculture, farming practices should be modified to decrease risks. Organic agriculture can be a more environmentally friendly alternative, but individual farming practices need improvement to meet the demands of a growing human population. Further growth of the organic farming sector will contribute to reduce the negative environmental impact of agriculture.}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferSmithWeisseretal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Smith, Henrik G. and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Wolters, Volkmar and Gossner, Martin M.}, title = {Land-use effects on the functional distinctness of arthropod communities}, series = {Ecography}, volume = {38}, journal = {Ecography}, number = {9}, issn = {0906-7590}, doi = {10.1111/ecog.01141}, pages = {889 -- 900}, abstract = {Land-use change is a major driver of the global loss of biodiversity, but it is unclear to what extent this also results in a loss of ecological traits. Therefore, a better understanding of how land-use change affects ecological traits is crucial for efforts to sustain functional diversity. To this end we tested whether higher species richness or taxonomic distinctness generally leads to increased functional distinctness and whether intensive land use leads to functionally more narrow arthropod communities. We compiled species composition and trait data for 350 species of terrestrial arthropods (Araneae, Carabidae and Heteroptera) in different land-use types (forests, grasslands and arable fields) of low and high land-use intensity. We calculated the average functional and taxonomic distinctness and the rarified trait richness for each community. These measures reflect the range of traits, taxonomic relatedness and number of traits that are observed in local communities. Average functional distinctness only increased significantly with species richness in Carabidae communities. Functional distinctness increased significantly with taxonomic distinctness in communities of all analyzed taxa suggesting a high functional redundancy of taxonomically closely related species. Araneae and Heteroptera communities had the expected lower functional distinctness at sites with higher land-use intensity. More frequently disturbed land-use types such as managed grasslands or arable fields were characterized by species with smaller body sizes and higher dispersal abilities and communities with lower functional distinctness or trait richness. Simple recommendations about the conservation of functional distinctness of arthropod communities in the face of future land-use intensification and species loss are not possible. Our study shows that these relationships depend on the studied taxa and land-use type. However, for some arthropod groups functional distinctness is threatened by intensification and conversion from less to more frequently disturbed land-uses.}, language = {en} } @incollection{BirkhoferDiehlWoltersetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Diehl, Eva and Wolters, Volkmar and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {Global metawebs of spider predation highlight consequences of land-use change for terrestrial predator-prey networks}, series = {Adaptive Food Webs - Stability and Transitions of Real and Model Ecosystems}, booktitle = {Adaptive Food Webs - Stability and Transitions of Real and Model Ecosystems}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, address = {Cambridge}, isbn = {978-1-107-18211-0}, pages = {193 -- 213}, language = {en} } @misc{RoubinetBirkhoferMalsheretal., author = {Roubinet, Eve and Birkhofer, Klaus and Malsher, Gerard and Staudacher, Karin and Ekbom, Barbara and Traugott, Michael and Jonsson, Mattias}, title = {Diet of generalist predators reflects effects of cropping period and farming system on extra- and intraguild prey}, series = {Ecological Applications}, volume = {27}, journal = {Ecological Applications}, number = {4}, issn = {1939-5582}, doi = {10.1002/eap.1510}, pages = {1167 -- 1177}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferFevrierHeinrichetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Fevrier, Valentin and Heinrich, Anna Eva and Rink, Katharina and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {The contribution of CAP greening measures to conservation biological control at two spatial scales}, series = {Agriculture, Ecosystem \& Environment}, journal = {Agriculture, Ecosystem \& Environment}, number = {255}, issn = {1873-2305}, doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2017.12.026}, pages = {84 -- 94}, abstract = {To promote a more sustainable agricultural production, the European Commission implemented direct payments that require farmers to implement greening measures aimed at reducing negative effects of agriculture on the environment and biodiversity. These greening measures (including fallows and permanent grasslands) have been criticised for their potential inability to conserve biodiversity and promote associated ecosystem services. In this study, we investigate if the presence of old or recently established fallows and permanent grassland in the landscape are beneficial for the emergence, activity density and spillover of ground-running natural enemies and as a result aphid biological control in cereal fields. Lycosidae and Theridiidae were more numerous in fallows (emergence \& activity density) compared to crop fields, while Staphylinidae and Linyphiidae showed opposite patterns. Spillover of Lycosidae was significantly higher from fallows into cereal fields, than between cereal fields. As a result of the opposite patterns in activity density in fallows between different groups of predators, a spillover from fallows did not result in a significantly higher aphid control in crop fields adjacent to them. A high proportion of permanent grassland in the landscape resulted in lower emergence of Linyphiidae and Carabidae. Our results support the assumption that a higher emergence and activity density of ground-running predators generally results in higher spillover to adjacent fields. However, patterns of emergence and activity density differed between individual natural enemy groups. Fallows, independent of age, can therefore act as source or sink depending on the focal predator group and more permanent grassland in the landscape can result in lower local emergence. Fallows at the local scale and permanent grassland at larger spatial scales therefore did not generally promote aphid biological control services provided by ground-running natural enemies.}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferAnderssonBengtssonetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Andersson, Georg K. S. and Bengtsson, Janne and Bommarco, Riccardo and D{\"a}nhardt, Juliana and Ekbom, Barbara and Ekroos, Johan and Hahn, Thomas and Hedlund, Katarina and J{\"o}nnson, Annelie M. and Lindborg, Regina and Olsson, Ola and Rader, Romina and Rusch, Adrien and Stjernman, Martin and Williams, Alwyn and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {Relationships between multiple biodiversity components and ecosystem services along a landscape complexity gradient}, series = {Biological Conservation}, volume = {218}, journal = {Biological Conservation}, issn = {1873-2917}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2017.12.027}, pages = {247 -- 253}, language = {en} } @misc{StaudacherRennstamRubbmarkBirkhoferetal., author = {Staudacher, Karin and Rennstam Rubbmark, Oskar and Birkhofer, Klaus and Malsher, Gerard and Sint, Daniela and Jonsson, Mattias and Traugott, Michael}, title = {Habitat heterogeneity induces rapid changes in the feeding behaviour of generalist arthropod predators}, series = {Functional Ecology}, volume = {32}, journal = {Functional Ecology}, number = {3}, issn = {1365-2435}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2435.13028}, pages = {809 -- 819}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferBylundDalinetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Bylund, Helena and Dalin, Peter and Ferlian, Olga and Gagic, Vesna and Hamb{\"a}ck, Peter A. and Klapwijk, Maartje and Mestre, Laia and Roubinet, Eve and Schroeder, Martin and Stenberg, Johan A. and Porcel, Mario and Bj{\"o}rkman, Christer and Jonsson, Mattias}, title = {Methods to identify the prey of invertebrate predators in terrestrial field studies}, series = {Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {7}, journal = {Ecology and Evolution}, number = {6}, issn = {2045-7758}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.2791}, pages = {1942 -- 1953}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferGossnerDiekoetteretal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Gossner, Martin M. and Diek{\"o}tter, Tim and Drees, Claudia and Ferlian, Olga and Maraun, Mark and Scheu, Stefan and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Wolters, Volkmar and Wurst, Susanne and Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {Land-use type and intensity differentially filter traits in above- and below-ground arthropod communities}, series = {Journal of Animal Ecology}, volume = {86}, journal = {Journal of Animal Ecology}, number = {3}, issn = {1365-2656}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.12641}, pages = {511 -- 520}, language = {en} } @misc{NyffelerBirkhofer, author = {Nyffeler, Martin and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {An estimated 400-800 million tons of prey are annually killed by the global spider community}, series = {The Science of Nature}, volume = {104}, journal = {The Science of Nature}, number = {3-4}, issn = {1432-1904}, doi = {10.1007/s00114-017-1440-1}, pages = {12}, language = {en} } @misc{NyffelerLapinskiSnyderetal., author = {Nyffeler, Martin and Lapinski, Witold and Snyder, Andrew and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Spiders feeding on earthworms revisited: consumption of giant earthworms in the tropics}, series = {Journal of Arachnology}, volume = {45}, journal = {Journal of Arachnology}, number = {2}, issn = {1937-2396}, doi = {10.1636/JoA-17-013.1}, pages = {242 -- 247}, language = {en} } @misc{MaderDiehlFiedleretal., author = {Mader, Viktoria and Diehl, Eva and Fiedler, Daniela and Thorn, Simon and Wolters, Volkmar and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Trade-offs in arthropod conservation between productive and non-productive agri-environmental schemes along a landscape complexity gradient}, series = {Insect Conservation and Diversity}, volume = {10}, journal = {Insect Conservation and Diversity}, number = {3}, issn = {1752-4598}, doi = {10.1111/icad.12220}, pages = {236 -- 247}, language = {en} } @misc{NilssonAnderssonBirkhoferetal., author = {Nilsson, Lovisa and Andersson, Georg K. S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {Ignoring ecosystem-service cascades undermines policy for multifunctional agricultural landscapes}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, number = {5}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2017.00109}, pages = {6}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferPalmuHansonetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Palmu, Erkki and Hanson, Helena I. and Hedlund, Katarina}, title = {Can hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios reveal large-scale patterns in dispersal and dietary origin in ground beetles?}, series = {Applied Soil Ecology}, volume = {Vol. 119}, journal = {Applied Soil Ecology}, issn = {0929-1393}, doi = {10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.06.006}, pages = {99 -- 103}, language = {en} } @misc{EisenhauerAntunesBennettetal., author = {Eisenhauer, Nico and Antunes, Pedro M. and Bennett, Alison E. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Bissett, Andrew and Bowker, Matthew A. and Caruso, Tancredi}, title = {Priorities for research in soil ecology}, series = {Pedobiologia}, volume = {63}, journal = {Pedobiologia}, issn = {0031-4056}, doi = {10.1016/j.pedobi.2017.05.003}, pages = {1 -- 7}, language = {en} } @misc{HansenBirkhoferSmithetal., author = {Hansen, Helena I. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Smith, Henrik G. and Palmu, Erkki and Hedlund, Katarina}, title = {Agricultural land use affects abundance and dispersal tendency of predatory arthropods}, series = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, journal = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, number = {18}, issn = {1618-0089}, doi = {10.1016/j.baae.2016.10.004}, pages = {40 -- 49}, abstract = {Predatory arthropods contribute to biological control, but to become an integral part of agricultural management, it is essential to identify drivers of their spatio-temporal distribution at the landscape scale. This study focuses on how agricultural land use affects the community composition, emergence and dispersal tendency of predatory arthropods. The arthropods were collected in emergence traps during the growing season (14 weeks) in a gradient of agricultural land uses from intensively managed sugar beet fields, over winter wheat fields, to less intensively managed grasslands. The emergence traps were equipped with one pitfall trap and a collecting bottle at the top. The distribution of the arthropods between these two collecting methods was assumed to represent their tendency to move out of the habitat. The grasslands had the highest numbers of spiders, while the winter wheat fields had the highest numbers of omnivorous rove beetles and macropterous predaceous ground beetles. The phenology of emergence differed between the land-use types, resulting in seasonal differences in community composition. The overall dispersal tendency of predatory arthropods was higher in crop fields than in grasslands. This study suggests that only a diverse mix of agricultural land uses will provide high levels of predators from different functional groups, throughout the growing season.}, language = {en} } @misc{TschumiEkroosHjortetal., author = {Tschumi, Matthias and Ekroos, Johan and Hjort, Cecilia and Smith, Henrik G. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Predation-mediated ecosystem services and disservices in agricultural landscapes}, series = {Ecological Applications}, volume = {28}, journal = {Ecological Applications}, number = {8}, issn = {1939-5582}, doi = {10.1002/eap.1799}, pages = {2109 -- 2118}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferRuschAnderssonetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Rusch, Adrien and Andersson, Georg K. S. and Bommarco, Riccardo and D{\"a}nhardt, Juliana and Ekbom, Barbara and J{\"o}nnson, Annelie M. and Lindborg, Regina and Olsson, Ola and Rader, Romina and Stjernman, Martin and Williams, Alwyn and Hedlund, Katarina and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {A framework to identify indicator species for ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes}, series = {Ecological Indicators}, volume = {91}, journal = {Ecological Indicators}, issn = {1470-160X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.04.018}, pages = {278 -- 286}, language = {en} } @misc{MaderDiehlWoltersetal., author = {Mader, Viktoria and Diehl, Eva and Wolters, Volkmar and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Agri-environmental schemes affect the trophic niche size and diet of common carabid species in agricultural landscapes}, series = {Ecological Entomology}, volume = {43}, journal = {Ecological Entomology}, number = {6}, issn = {1365-2311}, doi = {10.1111/een.12671}, pages = {823 -- 835}, abstract = {1. Carabids are abundant in agroecosystems and provide biocontrol services by feeding on weed seeds and pests. We compare the effects of two fundamentally different agri-environmental schemes (AES) on the numeric and trophic responses of four common carabid species: Anchomenus dorsalis, Poecilus cupreus, Pseudoophonus rufipes and Pterostichus melanarius. 2. In six cereal fields under organic farming and six sown flowering fields, 10 290 individuals of the four species were sampled to quantify their numeric response. The activity density of all species was higher in organically managed cereal fields compared to flowering fields. 3. We analysed naturally occurring stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in 138 carabid individuals to quantify isotopic niches and the diet contribution of soil- versus plant-based resources. Resources from the soil ('brown') energy channel were more important than resources from the plant ('green') energy channel in the diet of all species, particularly in P. melanarius. 4. Isotopic niches were larger for P. rufipes and P. melanarius in flowering fields than in organically managed cereal fields. Moreover, differences between AES types were observed in the diet contribution derived from both energy channels: A. dorsalis and P. cupreus incorporated higher proportions of plant-based resources in organically managed cereal fields compared to flowering fields. 5. Similar numeric, but different trophic responses suggest that AES type may alter arthropod food webs beyond simple changes in carabid densities. Such 'hidden' modifications in the resource utilisation of generalist predators deserve more attention to adequately evaluate the ecological consequences of AES.}, language = {en} } @misc{KarpBirkhofer, author = {Karp, Daniel S. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition}, series = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {115}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, number = {33}, issn = {1091-6490}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1800042115}, pages = {E7863 -- E7870}, abstract = {The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win-win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity in species responses to noncrop habitat may be biological in origin or could result from variation in how habitat and biocontrol are measured. Here, we use a pest-control database encompassing 132 studies and 6,759 sites worldwide to model natural enemy and pest abundances, predation rates, and crop damage as a function of landscape composition. Our results showed that although landscape composition explained significant variation within studies, pest and enemy abundances, predation rates, crop damage, and yields each exhibited different responses across studies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing in landscapes with more noncrop habitat but overall showing no consistent trend. Thus, models that used landscape-composition variables to predict pest-control dynamics demonstrated little potential to explain variation across studies, though prediction did improve when comparing studies with similar crop and landscape features. Overall, our work shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others. Future efforts to develop tools that inform farmers when habitat conservation truly represents a win-win would benefit from increased understanding of how landscape effects are modulated by local farm management and the biology of pests and their enemies.}, language = {en} } @misc{ZaitsevBirkhoferEkschmittetal., author = {Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Ekschmitt, Klemens and Wolters, Volkmar}, title = {Belowground Tritrophic Food Chain Modulates Soil Respiration in Grasslands}, series = {Pedosphere}, volume = {28}, journal = {Pedosphere}, number = {1}, issn = {1002-0160}, doi = {10.1016/S1002-0160(18)60008-6}, pages = {114 -- 123}, abstract = {Edaphic biota significantly affects several essential ecological functions such as C-storage, nutrient turnover, and productivity. However, it is not completely understood how belowground animal contribution to these functions changes in grasslands subject to different land use types. A microcosm experiment was carried out to test the effect of a tritrophic food chain on CO2 release from grassland soils. Soil was collected from three differently managed grassland systems (meadow, pasture, and mown pasture) located in three distinct German regions that cover a north-south gradient of approximately 500 km. The tritrophic food chain comprised natural edaphic microflora, nematodes, and predatory gamasid mites. The experimental design involved a full factorial combination of the presence and absence of nematodes and gamasid mites. Nematodes significantly increased the CO2 emissions in most treatments, but the extent of this effect varied with land use type. The fact that grazing by nematodes stimulated the metabolic activity of the edaphic microflora over a wide range of grassland soils highlighted the critical impact of the microfauna on ecosystem services associated with soil organic matter dynamics. Gamasids slightly amplified the effect of nematodes on microbial metabolic activity, but only in the pastures. This effect was most probably due to the control of nematode abundance. The fact that gamasid addition also augmented the impact of environmental conditions on nematode-induced modulation of soil respiration highlighted the need for including land use differences while evaluating soil fauna contribution to soil processes. To conclude, the differential response of the investigated tritrophic food chain to different grassland management systems suggests that adverse effects of land use intensification on important soil processes such as atmospheric C-release could potentially be reduced by using management methods that preserve essential features of the belowground food web.}, language = {en} } @misc{BergerBirkhoferHansonetal., author = {Berger, Josef S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Hanson, Helena I. and Hedlund, Katarina}, title = {Landscape configuration affects herbivore-parasitoid communities in oilseed rape}, series = {Journal of Pest Science}, volume = {91}, journal = {Journal of Pest Science}, number = {3}, issn = {1612-4758}, doi = {10.1007\%2Fs10340-018-0965-1}, pages = {1093 -- 1105}, abstract = {It is crucial to consider the effects of large-scale drivers on species presences and ecological interactions to understand what structures communities. In our study, we investigated how the species composition and the potential interaction networks of herbivore and parasitoid communities in oilseed rape fields are affected by agricultural landscape characteristics. Insect communities of 26 winter oilseed rape fields in southern Sweden were captured in water traps over a continuous time span of 30 ± 2 days. In total, 31\% of the variation in the composition of herbivore host communities was explained by a combination of the surrounding oilseed rape area in the study year and the previous year and distance to the nearest forest. The oilseed rape area in the study year and distance to forest also explained 14\% of the variation in the composition of parasitoid communities. Distance to the nearest forest together with the area of oilseed rape in the previous year explained 45\% of the variation in asymmetry of interaction webs. These results indicate that several measures of landscape configuration are important both for the composition of host and parasitoid communities and also for the structure of interaction networks. Our results support the view that it is an appropriate strategy to cultivate oilseed rape in landscapes that are far away from forests, in order to minimize recolonization by pest species and at the same time to attract parasitoid species from the open landscape.}, language = {en} } @misc{TschumiEkroosHjortetal., author = {Tschumi, Matthias and Ekroos, Johan and Hjort, Cecilia and Smith, Henrik G. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Rodents, not birds, dominate predation-related ecosystem services and disservices in vertebrate communities of agricultural landscapes}, series = {Oecologia}, volume = {188}, journal = {Oecologia}, number = {3}, issn = {0029-8549}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-018-4242-z}, pages = {863 -- 873}, abstract = {To understand the relationship between conservation measures and agricultural yields, we need to know the contributions of organisms to both ecosystem services and disservices. We studied the activity and contribution of birds and mammals to intermediate ecosystem services (predation of weed seeds or invertebrate pests) and disservices (predation of crop seeds or beneficial invertebrates) in southern Sweden between June and November 2016. We measured seed and invertebrate predation rates using trays placed in front of 32 wildlife cameras in 16 cereal fields with a local habitat contrast (8 fields adjacent to another crop field and 8 fields adjacent to a semi-natural grassland) and along a landscape heterogeneity gradient (amount of semi-natural grassland). Both activity and predation were dominated by small mammals (mainly rodents), yet only a few species contributed to predation services and disservices according to camera records. Small mammal activity and predation varied considerably over time. Small mammal activity was significantly higher at trays with crop seeds or beneficial invertebrate prey compared to trays with pest prey, and crop seed predation by small mammals was significantly higher than weed seed predation. In contrast, bird activity and predation did not differ significantly between resource types, but varied over time depending on the habitat contrast. Predation of animal prey by birds was highest after cereal harvest, independent of habitat contrast. Our study highlights that birds and in particular rodents provide important intermediate ecosystem services, but also disservices, which fluctuate strongly in intensity over time.}, language = {en} } @misc{AhlswedeFabianoKeepingetal., author = {Ahlswede, Steve and Fabiano, Ezequiel Chimbioputo and Keeping, Derek and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Using the Formozov-Malyshev-Pereleshin formula to convert mammal spoor counts into density estimates for long-term community-level monitoring}, series = {African Journal of Ecology}, volume = {57}, journal = {African Journal of Ecology}, number = {2}, issn = {1365-2028}, doi = {10.1111/aje.12587}, pages = {177 -- 189}, language = {en} } @misc{WannerBirkhoferFischeretal., author = {Wanner, Manfred and Birkhofer, Klaus and Fischer, Thomas and Shimizu, Miki and Shimano, Satoshi D. and Puppe, Daniel}, title = {Soil Testate Amoebae and Diatoms as Bioindicators of an Old Heavy Metal Contaminated Floodplain in Japan}, series = {Microbial Ecology}, volume = {79}, journal = {Microbial Ecology}, number = {1}, issn = {1432-184X}, doi = {10.1007/s00248-019- 01383-x}, pages = {123 -- 133}, language = {en} } @misc{PhillipsGuerraBartzetal., author = {Phillips, Helen R. P. and Guerra, Carlos A. and Bartz, Marie L. C. and Briones, Maria J. I. and Brown, George and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Global distribution of earthworm diversity}, series = {Science}, volume = {Vol. 366}, journal = {Science}, number = {6464}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.aax4851}, pages = {480 -- 485}, language = {en} } @misc{WannerBirkhoferPuppeetal., author = {Wanner, Manfred and Birkhofer, Klaus and Puppe, Daniel and Shimano, Satoshi D. and Shimizu, Miki}, title = {Tolerance of testate amoeba species to rising sea levels under laboratory conditions and in the South Pacific}, series = {Pedobiologia}, volume = {79}, journal = {Pedobiologia}, issn = {0031-4056}, pages = {8}, language = {en} } @misc{TschumiBirkhoferBlasiussonetal., author = {Tschumi, Matthias and Birkhofer, Klaus and Blasiusson, Sandra and J{\"o}rgensen, Martin and Smith, Henrik G. and Ekroos, Johan}, title = {Woody elements benefit bird diversity to a larger extent thansemi-natural grasslands in cereal-dominated landscapes}, series = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, volume = {46}, journal = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, issn = {1439-1791}, doi = {10.1016/j.baae.2020.03.005}, pages = {15 -- 23}, abstract = {Increasing landscape complexity can mitigate negative effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity by offeringresources complementary to those provided in arablefields. In particular, grazed semi-natural grasslands and woody elementssupport farmland birds, but little is known about their relative effects on bird diversity and community composition. In addition,the relative importance of local habitat versus landscape composition remains unclear. We investigated how the presence ofsemi-natural grasslands, the number of woody elements and the composition of the wider agricultural landscape affect bird spe-cies richness, true diversity (exponential Shannon diversity) and species composition. Bird communities were surveyed fourtimes on 16 paired transects of 250 m each with 8 transects placed between a cropfield and a semi-natural grassland and 8transects between two cropfields with no semi-natural grasslands in the vicinity. The number of woody elements around trans-ects was selected as an important predictor in all models, having a positive effect on species richness and true diversity, whilethe local presence of semi-natural grasslands was not selected in the best models. However, species richness and true diversityincreased with increasing cover of ley and semi-natural grasslands, whereas species composition was modified by the coverageof winter wheat at the landscape scale. Furthermore, bird species richness, true diversity and species composition differedbetween sampling dates. As bird diversity benefited from woody elements, rather than from the local presence of semi-naturalgrasslands as such, it is important to maintain woody structures in farmland. However, the positive effect of grassland at thelandscape scale highlights the importance of habitat variability at multiple scales. Because species richness and true diversitywere affected by different landscape components compared to species composition, a mosaic of land-use types is needed toachieve multiple conservation goals across agricultural landscapes.}, language = {en} } @misc{TlusteBroeringNěmecetal., author = {Tluste, Claudia and Br{\"o}ring, Udo and Němec, Tom{\´a}š and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Morphometric traits of shells determine utilization marks in the Roman Snail in eastern Germany}, series = {Web Ecology}, volume = {20}, journal = {Web Ecology}, number = {2}, issn = {1399-1183}, doi = {10.5194/we-20-87-2020}, pages = {87 -- 94}, abstract = {Overexploitation, habitat destruction and a changing climate threaten populations of the Roman snail(Helix pomatiaLinnaeus, 1758), which has led to a high protection status in Germany. Vertebrate and inver-tebrate predators, including parasites and facultative parasitoids, further cause pressure on populations. Giventhe conservation concern forH. pomatiaand its rarity in the study region (Cottbus, Germany), we studied howpredators and facultative parasitoids utilizeH. pomatiashells with a focus on non-invasive field methods. As pre-vious studies indicated that shell size may affect prey selection by predators, morphometric traits were measuredin eight subpopulations. We identified the total number and percentage ofH. pomatiashells that showed externalattack marks by predators and internal utilization marks by Diptera pupae and related those utilization patternsto the morphometric traits of shells. A large proportion of the shells in local subpopulations showed signs ofexternal attack and internal utilization, and both utilization forms were positively correlated. External attacks bypredators were more frequent in larger shells and internal utilization by Diptera was more common in shells withhigher body density. These results suggest a considerable pressure by predators and potential facultative para-sitoids onH. pomatiapopulations in the study area. Future research should focus on the relationship betweensnails from the family Helicidae and flies from the genusDiscomyza. Conservation programmes should considerabiotic habitat conditions together with potential trophic interactions to maximize the success of conservationstrategies}, language = {en} } @misc{SamwaysBartonBirkhoferetal., author = {Samways, Michael J. and Barton, Philip S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Chichorro, Filipe and Deacon, Charl and Fartmann, Thomas and Fukushima, Caroline S.}, title = {Solutions for humanity on how to conserve insects}, series = {Biological Conservation}, volume = {242}, journal = {Biological Conservation}, issn = {0006-3207}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108427}, pages = {15}, abstract = {The fate of humans and insects intertwine, especially through the medium of plants. Global environmentalchange, including land transformation and contamination, is causing concerning insect diversity loss, articulatedin the companion reviewScientists'warning to humanity on insect extinctions. Yet, despite a sound philosophical foundation, recognized ethical values, and scientific evidence, globally we are performing poorly at instigatingeffective insect conservation. As insects are a major component of the tapestry of life, insect conservation woulddo well to integrate better with overall biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. This also in-volves popularizing insects, especially through use of iconic species, through more media coverage, and moreinclusive education. Insect conservationists need to liaise better with decision makers, stakeholders, and landmanagers, especially at the conceptually familiar scale of the landscape. Enough evidence is now available, andsynthesized here, which illustrates that multiple strategies work at local levels towards saving insects. We nowneed to expand these locally-crafted strategies globally. Tangible actions include ensuring maintenance of bioticcomplexity, especially through improving temporal and spatial heterogeneity, functional connectivity, andmetapopulation dynamics, while maintaining unique habitats, across landscape mosaics, as well as instigatingbetter communication. Key is to have more expansive sustainable agriculture and forestry, improved regulationand prevention of environmental risks, and greater recognition of protected areas alongside agro-ecology innovel landscapes. Future-proofing insect diversity is now critical, with the benefits far reaching, includingcontinued provision of valuable ecosystem services and the conservation of a rich and impressive component ofEarth's biodiversity.}, language = {en} } @misc{AguileraRoslinMilleretal., author = {Aguilera, Guillermo and Roslin, Tomas and Miller, Kirsten and Tamburini, Giovanni and Birkhofer, Klaus and Caballero-Lopez, Berta and Lindstr{\"o}m, Sandra Ann-Marie and {\"O}ckinger, Erik and Rundl{\"o}f, Maj and Rusch, Adrien and Smith, Henrik G. and Bommarco, Riccardo}, title = {Crop diversity benefits carabid and pollinator communities in landscapes with semi-natural habitats}, series = {Journal of Applied Ecology}, volume = {57}, journal = {Journal of Applied Ecology}, number = {11}, issn = {1365-2664}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2664.13712}, pages = {2170 -- 2179}, abstract = {1.In agricultural landscapes, arthropods provide essential ecosystem services such as biological pest control and pollination. Intensified crop management practices and homogenization of landscapes have led to declines among such organisms. Semi-natural habitats, associated with high numbers of these organisms, are increasingly lost from agricultural landscapes but diversification by increasing crop diversity has been proposed as a way to reverse observed arthropod declines and thus restore ecosystem services. However, whether or not an increase in the diversity of crop types within a landscape promotes diversity and abundances of pollinating and predaceous arthropods, and how semi-natural habitats might modify this relationship, are not well understood. 2. To test how crop diversity and the proportion of semi-natural habitats within a landscape are related to the diversity and abundance of beneficial arthropod communities, we collected primary data from seven studies focusing on natural enemies (carabids and spiders) and pollinators (bees and hoverflies) from 154 crop fields in Southern Sweden between 2007 and 2017. 3. Crop diversity within a 1-km radius around each field was positively related to the Shannon diversity index of carabid and pollinator communities in landscapes rich in semi-natural habitats. Abundances were mainly affected by the proportion of semi-natural habitats in the landscape, with decreasing carabid and increasing pollinator numbers as the proportion of this habitat type increased. Spiders showed no response to either crop diversity or the proportion of semi-natural habitats. 4. Synthesis and applications. We show that the joint effort of preserving semi-natural habitats and promoting crop diversity in agricultural landscapes is necessary to enhance communities of natural enemies and pollinators. Our results suggest that increasing the diversity of crop types can contribute to the conservation of service-providing arthropod communities, particularly if the diversification of crops targets complex landscapes with a high proportion of semi-natural habitats.}, language = {en} } @misc{CardosoBartonBirkhoferetal., author = {Cardoso, Pedro and Barton, Philip S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Chichorro, Filipe and Deacon, Charl and Fartmann, Thomas and Fukushima, Caroline S. and Gaigher, Ren{\´e} and Habel, Jan C.}, title = {Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions}, series = {Biological Conservation}, journal = {Biological Conservation}, number = {242}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108426}, pages = {12}, abstract = {Here we build on the manifesto'World Scientists'Warning to Humanity, issued by the Alliance of WorldScientists. As a group of conservation biologists deeply concerned about the decline of insect populations, wehere review what we know about the drivers of insect extinctions, their consequences, and how extinctions cannegatively impact humanity.We are causing insect extinctions by driving habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, use of polluting andharmful substances, the spread of invasive species, global climate change, direct overexploitation, and co-ex-tinction of species dependent on other species.With insect extinctions, we lose much more than species. We lose abundance and biomass of insects, diversityacross space and time with consequent homogenization, large parts of the tree of life, unique ecological functionsand traits, and fundamental parts of extensive networks of biotic interactions. Such losses lead to the decline ofkey ecosystem services on which humanity depends. From pollination and decomposition, to being resources fornew medicines, habitat quality indication and many others, insects provide essential and irreplaceable services.We appeal for urgent action to close key knowledge gaps and curb insect extinctions. An investment in research programs that generate local, regional and global strategies that counter this trend is essential. Solutions areavailable and implementable, but urgent action is needed now to match our intentions.}, language = {en} } @misc{ArvidssonAddisonAddisonetal., author = {Arvidsson, Fredrik and Addison, Pia and Addison, Matthew F. and Haddad, C. R. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Weed species, not mulching, affect web-building spiders and their prey in organic fruit orchards in South Africa}, series = {Ecosphere}, volume = {11}, journal = {Ecosphere}, number = {3}, pages = {14}, abstract = {Weed infestation affects economically relevant orchard properties, including tree performance, yield, and fruit quality negatively, and weeds are therefore often controlled by herbicide application in con- ventional farming. The addition of organic mulch below tree canopies has been proposed as an alternative reliable practice to suppress weeds and preserve soil moisture in organic farming. Mulching, however, may also affect arthropod pest and natural enemy populations, which highlights the need for simultane- ously assessing weed, natural enemy, and animal pest communities in mulch experiments. This study addresses the limited knowledge about nonchemical ground cover management strategies for the control of plant and animal pests in orchards as a major constraint for organic growers. Here, we hypothesize that decisions about ground cover management practices in organic temperate fruit orchards affect the composition of web-building spider communities and their functional role as natural enemies of pest arthropods through effects on weed and insect pest communities. We studied weed, prey, and spider communities, as well as spider diet composition, in four temperate fruit types (apricot, peach, plum, and quince) on a single farm in the Western Cape, South Africa. We established experimental plots with and without addition of dead organic mulch under fruit tree canopies. Addition of organic mulch did not signicantly affect weed cover under trees or the taxonomic composition of weed or spider communities over the eight-month study period. However, independent of mulching, the taxonomic composition of weed communities was signicantly related to the composition of potential prey and spider communities. These relationships indirectly affected the prey composition of web-building spiders. These results suggest that the identity of weed species in the study orchards had a pronounced effect on the diet composition and functional role of web-building spiders. Future research should focus on the value of individual plant species for the promotion of pest control services provided by spiders across larger spatial scales and with higher levels of replication to allow for wider generalizations. The expected results would not only be relevant for weed control but could also be considered during the development of future fower strips in orchards.}, language = {en} } @misc{MichalkoBirkhofer, author = {Michalko, Radek and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Habitat niches suggest that non-crop habitat types differ in quality as source habitats for Central European agrobiont spiders}, series = {Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment}, volume = {308}, journal = {Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment}, issn = {0167-8809}, doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2020.107248}, pages = {9}, language = {en} } @misc{LoweWolffAcevesAparicioetal., author = {Lowe, Elizabeth C. and Wolff, Jonas O. and Aceves-Aparicio, Alfonso and Birkhofer, Klaus and Branco, Vasco V.}, title = {Towards establishment of a centralized spider traits database}, series = {The Journal of Arachnology}, volume = {48}, journal = {The Journal of Arachnology}, number = {2}, issn = {0161-8202}, doi = {10.1636/0161-8202-48.2.103}, pages = {103 -- 109}, abstract = {A main goal of ecological and evolutionary biology is understanding and predicting interactions between populations and both abiotic and biotic environments, the spatial and temporal variation of these interactions, and the effects on population dynamics and performance. Trait-based approaches can help to model these interactions and generate a comprehensive understanding of ecosystem functioning. A central tool is the collation of databases that include species trait information. Such centralized databases have been set up for a number of organismal groups but is lacking for one of the most important groups of predators in terrestrial ecosystems - spiders. Here we promote the collation of an open spider traits database, integrated into the global Open Traits Network. We explore the current collation of spider data and cover the logistics of setting up a global database, including which traits to include, the source of data, how to input data, database governance, geographic cover, accessibility, quality control and how to make the database sustainable long-term. Finally, we explore the scope of research questions that could be investigated using a global spider traits database.}, language = {en} } @misc{KundelBodenhausenBrachtJorgensenetal., author = {Kundel, Dominika and Bodenhausen, Natacha and Bracht J{\o}rgensen, Helene and Truu, Jaak and Birkhofer, Klaus and Hedlund, Katarina and M{\"a}der, Paul and Fliessbach, Andreas}, title = {Effects of simulated drought on biological soil quality, microbial diversity and yields under long-term conventional and organic agriculture}, series = {FEMS Microbiology Ecology}, volume = {96}, journal = {FEMS Microbiology Ecology}, number = {12}, issn = {1574-6941}, doi = {doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa205}, pages = {12}, abstract = {Drought and agricultural management influence soil microorganisms with unknown consequences for the functioning ofagroecosystems. We simulated drought periods in organic (biodynamic) and conventional wheat fields and monitoredeffects on soil water content, microorganisms and crops. Above the wilting point, water content and microbial respirationwere higher under biodynamic than conventional farming. Highest bacterial and fungal abundances were found inbiodynamically managed soils, and distinct microbial communities characterised the farming systems. Most biological soilquality parameters and crop yields were only marginally affected by the experimental drought, except for arbuscularmycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which increased in abundance under the experimental drought in both farming systems. AMFwere further strongly promoted by biodynamic farming resulting in almost three times higher AMF abundance underexperimental drought in the biodynamic compared with the conventional farming system. Our data suggest an improvedwater storage capacity under biodynamic farming and confirms positive effects of biodynamic farming on biological soilquality. The interactive effects of the farming system and drought may further be investigated under more substantialdroughts. Given the importance of AMF for the plant's water supply, more in-depth studies on AMF may help to clarify theirrole for yields under conditions predicted by future climate scenarios.}, language = {en} } @misc{DampteyBirkhoferNsiahetal., author = {Damptey, Frederick Gyasi and Birkhofer, Klaus and Nsiah, Paul Kofi and Garcia de la Riva, Enrique}, title = {Soil properties and biomass attributes in a former gravel mine area after two decades of forest restoration}, series = {Land}, volume = {9}, journal = {Land}, number = {6}, issn = {2073-445X}, doi = {10.3390/land9060209}, pages = {18}, abstract = {The ongoing global deforestation resulting from anthropogenic activities such as unsustainable agriculture and surface mining threatens biodiversity and decreases both soil carbon and above-ground biomass stocks. In this study, we assessed soil properties and below- and above-ground biomass attributes in a restored former gravel mine area in Ghana two decades after active restoration with potted plants and fresh topsoil. We compared conditions to four alternative land-use types (unrestored abandoned gravel mine, arable land, semi-natural forest, and natural forest) representing pre- and post-disturbance as well as natural reference states. We hypothesized that soil properties and related levels of below- and above-ground biomass in the restored area share similarities with the natural reference systems and thereby are indicative of a trajectory towards successful restoration. Eight replicated subareas in each land-use type were assessed for a set of soil parameters as well as below- and above-ground biomass attributes. The soil properties characteristic for the restored area differed significantly from pre-restoration stages, such as the abandoned gravel site, but did not differ significantly from properties in the natural forest (except for bulk density and base saturation). Above-ground biomass was lower in the restored area in comparison to the reference natural forests, while differences were not significant for below-ground biomass. Silt and effective cation exchange capacity were closely related to above-ground biomass, while below-ground biomass was related to soil organic carbon, bulk density, and potassium concentration in soils. Our results suggest that major steps towards successful restoration can be accomplished within a relatively short period, without the wholesale application of topsoil. Improving soil conditions is a vital tool for the successful development of extensive vegetation cover after surface mining, which also affects carbon sequestration by both above- and below-ground biomass. We emphasize that the use of reference systems provides critical information for the monitoring of ecosystem development towards an expected future state of the restored area.}, language = {en} } @misc{Birkhofer, author = {Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Samways, Michael J. : Insect conservation: a global synthesis}, series = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, volume = {46}, journal = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, publisher = {Springer}, issn = {1439-1791}, doi = {10.1016/j.baae.2020.04.001}, pages = {1}, language = {en} } @misc{NěmecLiznarovaBirkhoferetal., author = {Němec, Tom{\´a}š and L{\´i}znarov{\´a}, E. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Hors{\´a}k, M.}, title = {Stable isotope analysis as a method to investigate land-snail food partitioning: a case study from Central European floodplain forest}, series = {Journal of Zoology}, volume = {313}, journal = {Journal of Zoology}, number = {4}, issn = {1469-7998}, doi = {10.1111/jzo.12859}, pages = {297 -- 306}, abstract = {Land snails are abundant invertebrates in many terrestrial ecosystems, playing an essential role in food webs and nutrient cycling. Although snails are commonly considered general grazers with a strong tendency to omnivory, their foraging strategy is well documented only for a few species. Virtually no data exist on trophic niche partitioning within snail assemblages. To fill this gap, we analyzed naturally occurring stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N), an approach widely applied in ecological research, but only rarely in terrestrial snail studies. We collected ten individuals of the dominant co-occurring land snails (i.e., Aegopinella nitidula, Fruticicola fruticum, Oxyloma elegans, Succinea putris, Trochulus villosulus and Zonitoides nitidus) in a floodplain forest floor, along with their potential food sources and other invertebrates. All species, except for A. nitidula, showed high intraspecific variation in isotope signatures, indicating their opportunistic feeding behavior. Such a high intraspecific variation combined with the active movement range of all the species allows switching between food sources based on their accessibility. We observed that the trophic niches of the studied species highly overlapped, except for Z. nitidus. This suggests that trophic niche compartmentalization among co-occurring species does not seem to be the mechanism to avoid competition for food. Virtually unlimited resources for snail food are assumed to explain the coexistence of many species in high-density populations. Our results add to this concept of assembly rules in snail species by the finding of highly variable and overlapping trophic niches among the majority of the studied species.}, language = {en} } @misc{Birkhofer, author = {Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Thomas Wohlgemuth, Anke Jentsch und Rupert Seidl: St{\"o}rungs{\"o}kologie, Bern, 2019}, volume = {151}, number = {4}, isbn = {9783825250188}, pages = {1}, abstract = {Breiter {\"U}berblick zum Stand des Wissens {\"O}kosysteme werden durch Wind, Feuer, Insekten- oder Pilzbefall sowie durch die anthropogene Landnutzung gest{\"o}rt. St{\"o}rungen k{\"o}nnen {\"O}kosysteme rasch wandeln, aber langfristig auch zu deren Stabilisierung beitragen. In der Summe aller in einer Landschaft wirkenden St{\"o}rungen ergibt sich ein St{\"o}rungsregime, welches durch typische Rhythmen und Interaktionen gekennzeichnet ist. Das vorliegende Lehrbuch ist das erste in deutscher Sprache zu dieser Thematik. In 18 Kapiteln charakterisiert es St{\"o}rungstypen und St{\"o}rungsregime sowie ihre Bedeutung f{\"u}r {\"O}kosysteme und beschreibt die Anpassungen von Arten und Pflanzengemeinschaften an diese St{\"o}rungen. Es bietet einen breiten {\"U}berblick zum Stand des Wissens in der St{\"o}rungs{\"o}kologie. Zahlreiche Beispiele illustrieren dabei die Verh{\"a}ltnisse in Mitteleuropa.}, language = {de} } @misc{DampteyGarciadelaRivaBirkhofer, author = {Damptey, Frederick Gyasi and Garcia de la Riva, Enrique and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Trade-offs and synergies between food and fodder production and other ecosystem services in an actively restored forest in Ghana.}, series = {Frontiers in Forests and Global Change}, journal = {Frontiers in Forests and Global Change}, number = {4}, issn = {2624-893X}, doi = {10.3389/ffgc.2021.630959}, pages = {13}, abstract = {Active restoration of degraded areas with multi-purpose tree species has been proposed as a measure to counter the losses from deforestation and mitigate consequences for local human communities. In a restoration project at a former mining site in Ghana, ecosystem services (ES) proxies in an actively restored forest were compared to a local agroforestry system and a natural forest. The results provide information about trade-offs and synergies between proxies of multiple ES(s). ES proxies were assessed according to the following categories: (a) food-tree ES: biomass of food and fodder trees, (b) other trees ES: biomass of fuelwood, medicine or mulch trees, (c) ES-providing arthropods: the number of detritivorous and predaceous arthropods, (d) carbon storage, and (e) tree diversity. Eight replicated plots with sizes of 20 m × 20 m were established in each forest type, and the following ES proxies were quantified: tree diversity was estimated as taxonomic richness of all trees with a diameter at breast height ≥ 10 cm in each plot. Tree species were then classified into ES categories (food, fodder, fuelwood, medicine, or mulch). Ground-dwelling arthropods were sampled for 10 weeks with five pitfall traps in each plot and categorized as decomposers and predators. Tree above-ground biomass was estimated based on the measured tree diameter, height, and specific wood density using an improved allometric equation. The above-ground biomass was later converted into carbon storage by assuming 50\% of the above-ground biomass of each tree. ES proxies based on tree biomass were highest in the natural forest. Fodder, medicine, fuelwood, and mulch ES proxies were significantly higher in the restored forest than the agroforestry system. Decomposer arthropods were most dominant in the natural forest, followed by the restored forest and the agroforestry system. Predacious arthropods were more dominant in the restored forest than in the other forest types. Carbon storage was highest in the natural forest, followed by the agroforestry system and the restored forest. The actively restored forest took an intermediate position between the agroforestry system and the natural forest regarding values for all nine ES proxies. Out of the 14 possible relationships between food or fodder and other ES proxies, five were significantly positive (synergies) with no observed trade-offs (significant negative relationships). High fodder production in the restored and natural forests went along with higher values of other biomass ES proxies and numbers of beneficial arthropods, while higher food biomass also correlated positively with numbers of decomposing arthropods. Our results document that active restoration of degraded sites provides a valuable framework to promote ES provision to local communities compared to agroforestry system, but at the cost of lower food and fuelwood biomass and carbon storage compared to natural forests.}, language = {en} } @misc{LeProvostThieleManningetal., author = {Le Provost, Ga{\"e}tane and Thiele, Jan and Manning, Peter and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Contrasting responses of above- and belowground diversity to multiple components of land-use intensity}, series = {Nature Communications}, journal = {Nature Communications}, number = {12}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-021-23931-1}, pages = {13}, abstract = {Land-use intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss. However, understanding how different components of land use drive biodiversity loss requires the investigation of multiple trophic levels across spatial scales. Using data from 150 agricultural grasslands in central Europe, we assess the influence of multiple components of local- and landscape-level land use on more than 4,000 above- and belowground taxa, spanning 20 trophic groups. Plot-level land-use intensity is strongly and negatively associated with aboveground trophic groups, but positively or not associated with belowground trophic groups. Meanwhile, both above- and belowground trophic groups respond to landscape-level land use, but to different drivers: aboveground diversity of grasslands is promoted by diverse surrounding land-cover, while belowground diversity is positively related to a high permanent forest cover in the surrounding landscape. These results highlight a role of landscape-level land use in shaping belowground communities, and suggest that revised agroecosystem management strategies are needed to conserve whole-ecosystem biodiversity.}, language = {en} } @misc{LeimerBernerBirkhoferetal., author = {Leimer, Sophia and Berner, Doreen and Birkhofer, Klaus and Boeddinghaus, Runa S.}, title = {Land-use intensity and biodiversity effects on infiltration rates and hydraulic conductivity of grassland soils in southern Germany}, series = {Ecohydrology}, volume = {14}, journal = {Ecohydrology}, number = {6}, issn = {1936-0584}, doi = {10.1002/eco.2301}, abstract = {Evidence from experimental and established grasslands indicates that plant biodiversity can modify the water cycle. One suspected mechanism behind this is a higher infiltration capacity (νB) and hydraulic conductivity (K) of the soil on species-rich grasslands. However, in established and agriculturally managed grasslands, biodiversity effects cannot be studied independent of land-use effects. Therefore, we investigated in established grassland systems how land-use intensity and associated biodiversity of plants and soil animals affect νB and K at and close to saturation. On 50 grassland plots along a land-use intensity gradient in the Biodiversity Exploratory Schw{\"a}bische Alb, Germany, we measured νB with a hood infiltrometer at several matrix potentials and calculated the saturated and unsaturated K. We statistically analysed the relationship between νB or K and land-use information (e.g., fertilising intensity), abiotic (e.g., soil texture) and biotic data (e.g., plant species richness, earthworm abundance). Land-use intensity decreased and plant species richness increased νB and K, while the direction of the effects of soil animals was inconsistent. The effect of land-use intensity on νB and K was mainly attributable to its negative effect on plant species richness. Our results demonstrate that plant species richness was a better predictor of νB and K at and close to saturation than land-use intensity or soil physical properties in the established grassland systems of the Schw{\"a}bische Alb.}, language = {en} } @misc{MichalkoKošuličMartineketal., author = {Michalko, Radek and Košulič, Ondřej and Martinek, Petr and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Disturbance by invasive pathogenic fungus alters arthropod predator - prey food webs in ash plantations}, series = {Journal of Animal Ecology}, volume = {90}, journal = {Journal of Animal Ecology}, number = {9}, issn = {1365-2656}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.13537}, pages = {2213 -- 2226}, abstract = {1. According to the disturbance-succession theory, natural disturbances support biodiversity and are expected to increase the complexity of food-webs in for-est ecosystems by opening canopies and creating a heterogeneous environment. However, a limited number of studies have investigated the impact of disturbance by invasive pathogenic species and succession on arthropod predator-prey food-webs in forest ecosystems.2. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus is a pathogenic fungus of ash trees that is invasive in Europe and causes massive dieback, mainly of the common ash Fraxinus excelsioracross its native range. Here we investigated how this pathogenic fungus affects food- webs of web- building spiders and their prey in understorey vegetation of ash plantations.3. In 23 young and middle-aged ash plantations that were distributed along a gradi-ent of infestation by H. fraxineus (29\%- 86\% infestation), we measured the vegeta-tion structure (canopy openness, shrub coverage, herb/grass coverage), the trait composition of local spider communities (web type, body size), the prey availabil-ity and the prey intercepted by spider webs. We then evaluated the multivariate prey composition (prey type, body size) and network properties.4. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus opened the ash tree canopy, which resulted in denser shrub coverage. The dense shrub vegetation changed the composition of web types in local spider communities and increasing fungus infestation resulted in reduced mean body size of spiders. Infestation by H. fraxineus reduced the avail-ability of predaceous Coleoptera and increased the availability of herbivorous Coleoptera as potential prey. The mean body size of captured prey and the per capita capture rates of most prey groups decreased with increasing fungus in-festation. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus infestation indirectly reduced the complexity in bipartite networks and the trophic functional complementarity in local web- building spider communities. The plantation age affected the vegetation structure but did not affect the studied food-webs.5. Forest disturbance by the invasive pathogen affected four trophic levels (plant- herbivore-coleopteran intermediate predator-top predator web- building spiders) and, contrary to the disturbance-succession theory, disturbance by the fungus simplified the web- building spider- prey food-webs. The results support the view that H. fraxineus represents a threat to the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the simplified ecosystems of ash plantations.}, language = {en} } @misc{MeyerKundelBirkhoferetal., author = {Meyer, Svenja and Kundel, Dominika and Birkhofer, Klaus and Fliessbach, Andreas and Scheu, Stefan}, title = {Soil microarthropods respond differently to simulated drought in organic and conventional farming systems}, series = {Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {11}, journal = {Ecology and Evolution}, number = {15}, issn = {2045-7758}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.7839}, pages = {10369 -- 10380}, abstract = {In Central Europe, summer droughts are increasing in frequency which threatens production and biodiversity in agroecosystems. The potential of different farming systems to mitigate detrimental drought effects on soil animals is largely unknown. We investigated the effects of simulated drought on the abundance and community composition of soil microarthropods (Collembola and Oribatida and Meso-, Pro-, and Astigmata) in winter wheat fields under long-term conventional and organic farming in the DOK trial, Switzerland. We simulated drought by excluding 65\% of the ambient precipitation during the wheat-growing season from March to June 2017. The abundance of Collembola and Oribatida declined more consistently in conventionally managed fields compared to organically managed fields under simulated drought. The abundance of Collembola as well as Meso-, Pro- and Astigmata, but not the abundance of Oribatida, increased in deeper soil layers due to simulated drought, suggesting vertical migration as a drought avoidance strategy. The species composition of Oribatida communities, but not of Collembola communities, differed significantly between drought treatments and between farming systems. Soil carbon content was a major factor structuring Oribatida communities. Our results suggest that organic farming buffers negative effects of drought on soil microarthropods, presumably due to higher soil carbon content and associated higher soil moisture and improved soil structure. This potential of organic farming systems to mitigate consequences of future droughts on soil biodiversity is promising and needs further exploration across larger climatic and spatial scales and should be extended to other groups of soil biota.}, language = {en} } @misc{MichalkoBirkhoferPekar, author = {Michalko, Radek and Birkhofer, Klaus and Pek{\´a}r, Stano}, title = {Interaction between hunting strategy, habitat type and stratum drive intraguild predation and cannibalism}, series = {Oikos}, journal = {Oikos}, number = {3}, issn = {1600-0706}, doi = {10.1111/oik.08355}, pages = {12}, abstract = {Intraguild predation (IGP) is a common interaction between generalist predators when they competitively exploit similar resources and prey on each other. Theoretical models predict limitations for intraguild predator coexistence unless some mechanisms, such as the utilization of alternative prey (i.e. trophic niche partitioning) and cannibalism, increase the relative intraspecific clustering and interspecific segregation. As hunting strategies determine trophic niches of predators and their own vulnerability to predation, the hunting strategies may also determine the relative importance of cannibalism, predation, and exploitative competition and consequently the intensity of IGP. The importance of hunting strategies on the potential outcome of IGP and how habitat properties modify the interaction between hunting strategies remain poorly understood. Using published data on spider prey of spider predators, we first investigated how predation of a top-predator on a mesopredator is determined by the functional distance between both predators to understand how predation and exploitation are distributed in spider communities. Subsequently, we investigated the predation among spiders with particular hunting strategies to understand which strategies interact most frequently. We also investigated whether the interaction between hunting strategies was influenced by habitat type (forest, open (semi)natural habitat, agroecosystem) or by habitat stratum (ground versus vegetation). The hunting strategies of top-predators and mesopredators interacted to determine the relative capture proportions of conspecifics and hetero-specifics. This interaction was further modified by habitat type and stratum. Two mechanisms can reinforce coexistence in highly diverse spider communities. First, top-predators preyed most frequently on functionally distinct mesopredators, which indicates the overall intensity of IGP may be relaxed by a balanced distribution between exploitative competition and predation. Second, cannibalism was common for top-predators with a hunting strategy of frequently preying on functionally similar mesopredators. Cannibalism may lead to self-limitation of top-predator populations and may thereby facilitate coexistence between two predator species.}, language = {en} } @misc{FotangBroeringRoosetal., author = {Fotang, Chefor and Br{\"o}ring, Udo and Roos, Christian and Enoguanbhor, Evidence Chinedu and Dutton, Paul and T{\´e}donzong, Luc R. D. and Willie, Jacob and Yuh, Yisa Ginath and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Environmental and anthropogenic effects on the nesting patterns of Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees in North-West Cameroon}, series = {American Journal of Primatology}, volume = {83}, journal = {American Journal of Primatology}, number = {9}, issn = {1098-2345}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.23312}, pages = {12}, abstract = {Environmental conditions and human activity influence the selection of nest sites by chimpanzees and may have serious conservation implications. We examined the characteristics of nesting trees preferred by chimpanzees, investigated the effect of vegetation composition and topography on nest site locations and seasonality on nesting heights of chimpanzees, and verified the effect of predator occurrence and human activity on the nesting behavior of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve (KWFR) and surrounding unprotected forest in Cameroon. We recorded 923 nests, 502 signs of human activity, and 646 nesting trees along line transects and recces (reconnaissance) for two seasons. We found that chimpanzees constructed more arboreal nests on tall primary trees with high lowest branch height and large diameter at breast height. Moreover, they oriented their nests within trees in the slope direction when the nesting trees were located on slopes. Additionally, the occurrence of chimpanzee nests was positively related to increasing elevation and slope and decreased with distance to primary forest. In contrast, the number of nests increased with distance to secondary forest, open land, and villages, and nesting height was not influenced by seasons. While we recorded no signs of large nocturnal chimpanzee predators at nesting trees, we found signs of hunting activity at nesting locations. Nesting high in trees is likely a way of avoiding hunting, while nest orientation within trees in slope direction shortens escape routes from human hunters. Our findings suggest that chimpanzees select safe trees (tall trees with high lowest branch height) located in nesting areas (primary forest, high elevation, and steep slopes) that are not easily accessible by humans. Therefore, conservation efforts should focus on protecting primary forests at high elevation and steep slopes and reducing human impact.}, language = {en} } @misc{FengArvidssonSmithetal., author = {Feng, Lanya and Arvidsson, Fredrik and Smith, Henrik G. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Fallows and permanent grasslands conserve the species composition and functional diversity of carabid beetles and linyphiid spiders in agricultural landscapes}, series = {Insect Conservation \& Diversity}, volume = {14}, journal = {Insect Conservation \& Diversity}, number = {6}, issn = {1752-4598}, doi = {10.1111/icad.12520}, pages = {825 -- 836}, abstract = {The European Union reformed the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP 2013) to include greening measures with the aim to decrease negative impacts of farming on the environment and biodiversity. The degree to which greening measures such as permanent grassland or fallows of different ages enhance biodiversity is still debated. We investigate the effect of fallows in two different age classes and permanent grassland in the surrounding landscape on the taxonomic and functional diversity of two numerically dominant groups of natural enemies in cereal fields: soil-emerging carabid beetles (Family Carabidae, Order Coleoptera) and ground-active linyphiid spiders (Family Linyphiidae, Order Araneae). The species richness, abundance and Hill-Shannon diversity of carabids and linyphiids did not differ significantly between fallows and cereal fields and was not significantly related to the proportion of permanent grassland in the surrounding landscape. The species composition of both communities differed significantly between cereal fields and fallows. The functional distinctness, as an index reflecting the similarity among species in terms of functional traits, of linyphiids was significantly higher in fallows than in cereal fields. The trait composition of carabids was significantly related to the proportion of permanent grassland depending on field type (cereal or fallow). Our results document considerable species turnover in natural enemy communities of adjacent cereal fields and fallows, and support the assumption that older fallows (>8 years) produce functionally more diverse natural enemy communities. Maintaining fallows for a long period is an important measure to promote the functional diversity in predaceous arthropod communities.}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferFliessbachGavin‐Centoletal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Fliessbach, Andreas and Gav{\´i}n-Centol, Mar{\´i}a Pilar and Hedlund, Katarina and Ingimarsd{\´o}ttir, Mar{\´i}a and Bracht J{\o}rgensen, Helene and Kozjek, Katja and Meyer, Svenja and Montserrat, Marta and S{\´a}nchez-Moreno, Sara and Moya-Lara{\~n}o, Jordi and Scheu, Stefan and Serrano-Carnero, Diego and Truu, Jaak and Kundel, Dominika}, title = {Conventional agriculture and not drought alters relationships between soil biota and functions}, series = {Scientific Reports}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, number = {11}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-021-03276-x}, abstract = {Soil biodiversity constitutes the biological pillars of ecosystem services provided by soils worldwide. Soil life is threatened by intense agricultural management and shifts in climatic conditions as two important global change drivers which are not often jointly studied under field conditions. We addressed the effects of experimental short-term drought over the wheat growing season on soil organisms and ecosystem functions under organic and conventional farming in a Swiss long term trial. Our results suggest that activity and community metrics are suitable indicators for drought stress while microbial communities primarily responded to agricultural practices. Importantly, we found a significant loss of multiple pairwise positive and negative relationships between soil biota and process-related variables in response to conventional farming, but not in response to experimental drought. These results suggest a considerable weakening of the contribution of soil biota to ecosystem functions under long-term conventional agriculture. Independent of the farming system, experimental and seasonal (ambient) drought conditions directly affected soil biota and activity. A higher soil water content during early and intermediate stages of the growing season and a high number of significant relationships between soil biota to ecosystem functions suggest that organic farming provides a buffer against drought effects.}, language = {en} } @misc{TlusteBirkhofer, author = {Tluste, Claudia and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Shells of the Roman snail are important microhabitats for soil invertebrates}, series = {Soil organisms}, volume = {93}, journal = {Soil organisms}, number = {3}, issn = {2509-9523}, doi = {10.25674/so93iss3id167}, pages = {141 -- 152}, abstract = {Shells of molluscs from snail farms (heliciculture) are used as food additives or construction material and ecological engineering approaches utilize their potential to assist with ecosystem restoration. Previous studies, for example, highlighted the importance of snail shells as microhabitat for threatened arthropod species with particular focus on wild bees nesting in empty shells. This study focuses on shells of the Roman snail (Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758) and their value as microhabitat for shell adopters in different dominant vegetation forms and sample periods. In total, 1408 empty shells were placed in areas dominated by one of two vegetation forms (herbaceous vegetation or trees) from February to November 2019 (autumn) or from February to June/ July 2020 (summer). All collected shells (N = 618) were sealed at the time of collection, frozen and all content was then analysed with a digital microscope. In total, 91.4\% of all collected shells were occupied and the average number of shell adopters was 1.5 time higher in shells collected in summer compared to shells collected in autumn. The number of shell adopters per shell was 1.5 times higher in study areas dominated by herbaceous vegetation compared to study areas dominated by trees. Shell width, but not shell height significantly affected the composition of shell adopter communities. Shells with a larger width were more frequently colonized by another gastropod species [Discus rotundatus (O. F. M{\"u}ller, 1774)] than less wide shells. Shells of the Roman snail provide important multipurpose benefits for a wide range of soil organisms, particularly in habitats that were dominated by herbaceous vegetation and in summer. In autumn, shell adopters included isopods, gastropods and spiders in one subset of shells or Collembola in another subset. The future use of commercially available, empty shells from heliciculture in local restoration projects of open, tree-free areas, holds the potential to support a diverse invertebrate fauna with additional refuge habitats.}, language = {en} } @misc{MathulweJacobsMalanetal., author = {Mathulwe, Letodi L. and Jacobs, Karin and Malan, Antoinette P. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Addison, Matthew F. and Addison, Pia}, title = {Characterisation of Metarhizium majus (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) isolated from the Western Cape Province, South Africa.}, series = {PloS one}, journal = {PloS one}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0240955}, pages = {11}, abstract = {Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are important soil-dwelling entomopathogens, which can be used as biological control agents against pest insects. EPF are capable of causing lethal epizootics in pest insect populations in agroecosystems. During a survey of the orchard soil at an organic farm, different EPF species were collected and identified to species level, using both morphological and molecular techniques. The EPF were trapped from soil samples taken from an apricot orchard. The traps, which were baited in the laboratory, used susceptible host insects, including the last-instar larvae of Galleria mellonella (wax moth larvae) and Tenebrio molitor (mealworm larvae). The potential pathogenicity of the local Metarhizium majus isolate was tested and verified using susceptible laboratory-reared last-instar T. molitor larvae. The identification of the M. majus isolated from South African soil was verified using both morphological and molecular techniques. The occurrence of M. majus in the South African soil environment had not previously been reported.}, language = {en} } @misc{FotangBroeringRoosetal., author = {Fotang, Chefor and Br{\"o}ring, Udo and Roos, Christian and Enoguanbhor, Evidence Chinedu and E. Abwe, Ekwoge and Dutton, Paul and Schierack, Peter and Angwafo, Tsi Evaristus and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Human activity and forest fragmentation threaten populations of the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Western Cameroon}, series = {International Journal of Primatology}, volume = {42}, journal = {International Journal of Primatology}, number = {1}, issn = {1573-8604}, doi = {10.1007/s10764-020-00191-2}, pages = {105 -- 129}, abstract = {Increased human activities such as commodity-led deforestation, extension of agriculture, urbanization, and wildfires are major drivers of forest loss worldwide. In Cameroon, these activities cause a loss of suitable primate habitat and could ultimately threaten the survival of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). We derived independent estimates of the population size of the Endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, Cameroon, and surrounding unprotected forest areas through 1) direct observations, 2) camera trapping, 3) distance sampling, 4) marked nest counts, and 5) standing crop nest counts. In addition, we georeferenced signs of chimpanzee and human activity along line transects. We used a generalized linear mixed model to predict the occurrence of chimpanzees in response to edge length (measured as the perimeter of core forest patches), core area of forest patches (measured as area of forest patches beyond an edge width of 100 m), habitat perforation (measured as the perimeter of nonforested landscape within core forest patches), patch size(measured as area of forest patches), and forest cover. Chimpanzee density estimates ranged from 0.1 (direct observation) to 0.9 (distance sampling) individuals km-2 depending on estimation method with a mean nest group size of 7 ± 5.4 (SD). The mean encounter rate for signs of chimpanzee activity was significantly higher in mature forests (2.3 signs km-1) than in secondary forests (0.3 signs km-1) and above 1000 m elevation (4.0 signs km-1) than below 1000 m (1.0 signs km-1). The mean encounter rate for signs of human activity was significantly higher in secondary (8.0 signs km-1) than in mature forests (0.9 signs km-1). Secondary forests, habitat perforation, and edge length had a significant negative effect on the occurrence of chimpanzee signs. Overall, human activity and forest degradation affected the number of observed chimpanzee signs negatively. Regular antipoaching patrols and reforestation programs in degraded areas could potentially reduce threats to populations of endangered species and may increase suitable habitat area.}, language = {en} } @misc{PhillipsBachEisenhaueretal., author = {Phillips, Helen R. P. and Bach, Elizabeth M. and Eisenhauer, Nico and Birkhofer, Klaus and Bartz, Marie L. C.}, title = {Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties}, series = {Scientific Data}, journal = {Scientific Data}, number = {8}, issn = {2052-4463}, doi = {10.1038/s41597-021-00912-z}, abstract = {Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change.}, language = {en} } @misc{PekarWolffČerneckaetal., author = {Pek{\´a}r, Stano and Wolff, Jonas O. and Černeck{\´a}, Ľudmila and Birkhofer, Klaus and Mammola, Stefano and Lowe, Elizabeth C. and Fukushima, Caroline S. and Herberstein, Marie E. and Kučera, Adam and Buzatto, Bruno A.}, title = {The World Spider Trait database: a centralized global open repository for curated data on spider traits}, series = {Database}, journal = {Database}, number = {2021}, issn = {1758-0463}, doi = {10.1093/database/baab064}, pages = {10}, abstract = {Spiders are a highly diversified group of arthropods and play an important role in terrestrial ecosystems as ubiquitous predators, which makes them a suitable group to test a variety of eco-evolutionary hypotheses. For this purpose, knowledge of a diverse range of species traits is required. Until now, data on spider traits have been scattered across thousands of publications produced for over two centuries and written in diverse languages. To facilitate access to such data, we developed an online database for archiving and accessing spider traits at a global scale. The database has been designed to accommodate a great variety of traits (e.g. ecological, behavioural and morphological) measured at individual, species or higher taxonomic levels. Records are accompanied by extensive metadata (e.g. location and method). The database is curated by an expert team, regularly updated and open to any user. A future goal of the growing database is to include all published and unpublished data on spider traits provided by experts worldwide and to facilitate broad cross-taxon assays in functional ecology and comparative biology.}, language = {en} } @misc{KozjekKundelKKushwahaetal., author = {Kozjek, Katja and Kundel, Dominika and K. Kushwaha, Sandeep and Olsson, P{\aa}l Axel and Ahr{\´e}n, Dag and Fliessbach, Andreas and Birkhofer, Klaus and Hedlund, Katarina}, title = {Long-term agricultural management impacts arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi more than short-term experimental drought}, series = {Applied Soil Ecology}, journal = {Applied Soil Ecology}, number = {168}, issn = {0929-1393}, doi = {10.1016/j.apsoil.2021.104140}, abstract = {Agricultural management practices and extreme weather events associated with climate change can influence the diversity and abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) with potential consequences for crop production. However, the importance of the interactive effects of long-term agricultural management and extreme weather events on AMF communities in agricultural soils is not yet fully explored. A short-term drought experiment with rainout-shelters was performed in winter wheat fields in a long-term agricultural trial with organic (biodynamic) and conventional management practices. During four months of the winter wheat growing period (March-June 2017), the rainout-shelters reduced the ambient precipitation by 65\% on average. At two sampling dates, the AMF diversity and community composition were assessed using a single-molecule real-time (SMRT) DNA sequencing. A total of 955 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), belonging to twelve genera were identified. The long-term farming systems and the short-term experimental drought did not affect AMF ASV diversity levels. The AMF community composition at the genus level differed between the organic and the conventional farming systems, but no distinctive communities were found in response to the experimental drought. The three most abundant genera Acaulospora, Paraglomus and Funneliformis were correlated to the two farming practices. Our study demonstrates that AMF communities in agricultural soils are responsive to long-term farming systems, and are resistant to one short-term summer drought event.}, language = {en} } @misc{HeckerBirkhoferYangetal., author = {Hecker, Lutz Philip and Birkhofer, Klaus and Yang, Xueyan and Querhammer, Lisa and St{\"o}ckmann, Ina and W{\"a}tzold, Frank}, title = {Insektenverluste durch den Einsatz von Konditionierern bei der Behandlung von M{\"a}hgut - {\"o}kologische und {\"o}konomische Aspekte}, series = {Natur und Landschaft. Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege}, volume = {97}, journal = {Natur und Landschaft. Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege}, number = {2}, issn = {0028-0615}, doi = {10.19217/NuL2022-02-03}, pages = {78 -- 84}, language = {de} } @misc{HeitmannGlemnitzBirkhoferetal., author = {Heitmann, Nadja and Glemnitz, Michael and Birkhofer, Klaus and M{\"u}ller, Marina E. H.}, title = {Unselective Transport of Phytopathogenic Fusarium Fungi from Litter and Soil by Ground-Dwelling Arthropods Links Semi-Natural and Agricultural Habitats}, series = {Microorganisms}, volume = {10}, journal = {Microorganisms}, number = {2}, issn = {2076-2607}, doi = {10.3390/microorganisms10020335}, abstract = {The dispersal of propagules, such as fungal spores or seeds by actively moving animals, connects and shapes communities. The dispersal of plant pathogens by arthropods might be a crucial mechanism in the spread of several crop diseases. Ground-dwelling arthropods are potential linkers between fungal communities in semi-natural and agricultural habitats by transporting propagules of Fusarium fungi. We compared the Fusarium communities on the body surface of ground-dwelling arthropods with litter in semi-natural and soil in agricultural habitats with a focus on the Fusarium community. We found three relatively distinct Fusarium communities with moderate overlap. We detected a higher richness of Fusarium species on the body surface of arthropods compared to litter and soil communities. The results suggest that the Fusarium community on the body surface of arthropods relates to the composition observed in litter and soil with limited filtering mechanisms between communities. Ground-dwelling arthropods are relevant agents for the distribution of Fusarium and therefore link fungal communities in adjacent habitats.}, language = {en} } @misc{SikorskiBaumgartnerBirkhofer, author = {Sikorski, Johannes and Baumgartner, Vanessa and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {The evolution of ecological diversity in Acidobacteria}, series = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {Vol. 13}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, number = {2}, issn = {1664-302X}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.715637}, pages = {18}, abstract = {Acidobacteria occur in a large variety of ecosystems worldwide and are particularly abundant and highly diverse in soils. In spite of their diversity, only few species have been characterized to date which makes Acidobacteria one of the most poorly understood phyla among the domain Bacteria. We used a culture-independent niche modeling approach to elucidate ecological adaptations and their evolution for 4,154 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of Acidobacteria across 150 different, comprehensively characterized grassland soils in Germany. Using the relative abundances of their 16S rRNA gene transcripts, the responses of active OTUs along gradients of 41 environmental variables were modeled using hierarchical logistic regression (HOF), which allowed to determine values for optimum activity for each variable (niche optima). By linking 16S rRNA transcripts to the phylogeny of full 16S rRNA gene sequences, we could trace the evolution of the different ecological adaptations during the diversification of Acidobacteria. This approach revealed a pronounced ecological diversification even among acidobacterial sister clades. Although the evolution of habitat adaptation was mainly cladogenic, it was disrupted by recurrent events of convergent evolution that resulted in frequent habitat switching within individual clades. Our findings indicate that the high diversity of soil acidobacterial communities is largely sustained by differential habitat adaptation even at the level of closely related species. A comparison of niche optima of individual OTUs with the phenotypic properties of their cultivated pepresentatives showed that our niche modeling approach (1) correctly predicts those physiological properties that have been determined for cultivated species of Acidobacteria but (2) also provides ample information on ecological adaptations that cannot be inferred from standard taxonomic descriptions of bacterial isolates. These novel information on specific adaptations of not-yet-cultivated Acidobacteria can therefore guide future cultivation trials and likely will increase their cultivation success.}, language = {en} } @misc{PotapovBeaulieuBirkhoferetal., author = {Potapov, Anton and Beaulieu, Fr{\´e}d{\´e}ric and Birkhofer, Klaus and Bluhm, Sarah L. and Degtyarev, Maxim I. and Devetter, Miloslav and Goncharov, Anton A. and Gongalsky, Konstantin B. and Klarner, Bernhard and Korobushkin, Daniil I.}, title = {Feeding habits and multifunctional classification of soil-associated consumers from protists to vertebrates}, series = {Biological Reviews}, volume = {97}, journal = {Biological Reviews}, number = {3}, issn = {1469-185X}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12832}, pages = {1057 -- 1117}, abstract = {Soil organisms drive major ecosystem functions by mineralising carbon and releasing nutrients during decomposition processes, which supports plant growth, aboveground biodiversity and, ultimately, human nutrition. Soil ecologists often operate with functional groups to infer the effects of individual taxa on ecosystem functions and services. Simultaneous assessment of the functional roles of multiple taxa is possible using food-web reconstructions, but our knowledge of the feeding habits of many taxa is insufficient and often based on limited evidence. Over the last two decades, molecular, biochemical and isotopic tools have improved our understanding of the feeding habits of various soil organisms, yet this knowledge is still to be synthesised into a common functional framework. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the feeding habits of consumers in soil, including protists, micro-, meso- and macrofauna (invertebrates), and soil-associated vertebrates. We have integrated existing functional group classifications with findings gained with novel methods and compiled an overarching classification across taxa focusing on key universal traits such as food resource preferences, body masses, microhabitat specialisation, protection and hunting mechanisms. Our summary highlights various strands of evidence that many functional groups commonly used in soil ecology and food-web models are feeding on multiple types of food resources. In many cases, omnivory is observed down to the species level of taxonomic resolution, challenging realism of traditional soil food-web models based on distinct resource-based energy channels. Novel methods, such as stable isotope, fatty acid and DNA gut content analyses, have revealed previously hidden facets of trophic relationships of soil consumers, such as food assimilation, multichannel feeding across trophic levels, hidden trophic niche differentiation and the importance of alternative food/prey, as well as energy transfers across ecosystem compartments. Wider adoption of such tools and the development of open interoperable platforms that assemble morphological, ecological and trophic data as traits of soil taxa will enable the refinement and expansion of the multifunctional classification of consumers in soil. The compiled multifunctional classification of soil-associated consumers will serve as a reference for ecologists working with biodiversity changes and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships, making soil food-web research more accessible and reproducible.}, language = {en} } @misc{MeyerKundelBirkhoferetal., author = {Meyer, Svenja and Kundel, Dominika and Birkhofer, Klaus and Fliessbach, Andreas and Scheu, Stefan}, title = {Trophic niche but not abundance of Collembola and Oribatida changes with drought and farming system}, series = {PeerJ}, volume = {10}, journal = {PeerJ}, number = {12}, issn = {2167-8359}, doi = {10.7717/peerj.12777}, abstract = {Higher frequencies of summer droughts are predicted to change soil conditions in the future affecting soil fauna communities and their biotic interactions. In agroecosystems drought effects on soil biota may be modulated by different management practices that alter the availability of different food resources. Recent studies on the effect of drought on soil microarthropods focused on measures of abundance and diversity. We here additionally investigated shifts in trophic niches of Collembola and Oribatida as indicated by stable isotope analysis (13C and 15N). We simulated short-term summer drought by excluding 65\% of the ambient precipitation in conventionally and organically managed winter wheat fields on the DOK trial in Switzerland. Stable isotope values suggest that plant litter and root exudates were the most important resources for Collembola (Isotoma caerulea, Isotomurus maculatus and Orchesella villosa) and older plant material and microorganisms for Oribatida (Scheloribates laevigatus and Tectocepheus sarekensis). Drought treatment and farming systems did not affect abundances of the studied species. However, isotope values of some species increased in organically managed fields indicating a higher proportion of microorganisms in their diet. Trophic niche size, a measure of both isotope values combined, decreased with drought and under organic farming in some species presumably due to favored use of plants as basal resource instead of algae and microorganisms. Overall, our results suggest that the flexible usage of resources may buffer effects of drought and management practices on the abundance of microarthropods in agricultural systems.}, language = {en} } @misc{DampteyBirkhoferMenoretal., author = {Damptey, Frederick Gyasi and Birkhofer, Klaus and Menor, Imma Oliveras and Garcia de la Riva, Enrique}, title = {The functional Structure of Tropical Plant Communities and soil Properties Enhance Ecosystem Functioning and Multitunctionality in Different Ecosystems in Ghana}, series = {Forests}, volume = {13}, journal = {Forests}, number = {2}, issn = {1999-4907}, doi = {10.3390/f13020297}, pages = {20}, abstract = {Plant functional traits are useful in tracking changes in the environment, and play an important role in determining ecosystem functioning. The relationship between plant functional traits and ecosystem functioning remains unclear, although there is growing evidence on this relationship. In this study, we tested whether the functional structure of vegetation has significant effects on the provision of ecosystem services. We analysed plant trait composition (specific leaf area, leaf carbon and nitrogen ratio, isotopic carbon fraction, stem dry matter content, seed mass and plant height), soil parameters (nutrients, pH, bulk density) and proxies of ecosystem services (carbon stock, decomposition rate, invertebrate activity) in twenty-four plots in three tropical ecosystems (active restored and natural forests and an agroforestry system) in Ghana. For each plot, we measured above-ground biomass, decomposition rates of leaves and invertebrate activity as proxies for the provision of ecosystem services to evaluate (i) whether there were differences in functional composition and soil properties and their magnitude between ecosystem types. We further aimed to (ii) determine whether the functional structure and/or soil parameters drove ecosystem functions and multifunctionality in the three ecosystem types. For functional composition, both the leaf economic spectrum and seed mass dimension clearly separated the ecosystem types. The natural forest was more dominated by acquisitive plants than the other two ecosystem types, while the non-natural forests (agroforest and restored forest) showed higher variation in the functional space. The natural forest had higher values of soil properties than the restored forest and the agroforestry system, with the differences between the restored and agroforestry systems driven by bulk density. Levels of ecosystem service proxies and multifunctionality were positively related to the functional richness of forest plots and were mainly explained by the differences in site conditions. Our study demonstrated the effects of functional forest structure on ecosystem services in different forest ecosystems located in the semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana.}, language = {en} } @misc{HeckerWaetzoldYangetal., author = {Hecker, Lutz Philip and W{\"a}tzold, Frank and Yang, Xueyan and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Squeeze it or leave it? An ecological-economic assessment of the impact of mower conditioners on arthropod populations in grassland}, series = {Journal of Insect Conservation}, volume = {26}, journal = {Journal of Insect Conservation}, number = {3}, issn = {1572-9753}, doi = {10.1007/s10841-022-00392-5}, pages = {463 -- 475}, abstract = {This study addresses the use of conditioners as a driver of arthropod loss in agricultural landscapes. Conditioners compress the freshly cut mowing material mechanically to destroy the evaporation-inhibiting wax layer of the grass material. This compression potentially increases the physical damage to several arthropod groups during the mowing process. We have combined an ecological field study on the impact of conditioners on arthropods at the plot level with an analysis of the economic rationale of applying conditioners in differently managed grasslands in the study region, in order to understand the impact of applying conditioners on the damage to arthropods at the landscape level. The use of conditioners in the mowing process significantly increased the overall percentage of damaged individuals by 18\% from 52\% without to 70\% with conditioner use. Aphids and plant lice, beetles, thrips and mites were most severely affected by additional damage. We also found that the use of conditioners takes place on substantially more than 20\% of all grasslands in the study region. Depending on the respective grassland area managed with conditioners in the future, grasslands could be losing an additional 4\% to 18\% of their overall arthropod numbers only due to the use of conditioners compared to a scenario without conditioners. As the damage due to the use of conditioners is presumably higher in extensively managed grasslands, and the profit of their use is higher in intensively managed grasslands, we suggest, as an implication for insect conservation, concentrating measures to disincentivise the use of conditioners on extensively managed grassland.}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferDjoudiSchnerchetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Djoudi, El Aziz and Schnerch, Benjamin and Michalko, Radek}, title = {Climatic conditions and functional traits affect spider diets in agricultural and non-agricultural habitats worldwide}, series = {Ecography}, journal = {Ecography}, number = {3}, issn = {1600-0587}, doi = {10.1111/ecog.06090}, pages = {12}, abstract = {Spiders are dominant predators in terrestrial ecosystems and feed on prey from the herbivore and detritivore subsystem (dual subsystem omnivory) as well as on other predators (intraguild predation). Little is known about how global change potentially affects the importance of different prey groups in predator diets. In this meta-analysis we identify the impact of climatic conditions, land-use types and functional traits of spider species on the relative importance of Hemiptera, Araneae and Collembola prey in spider diets. We use a dataset including 78 publications with 149 observational records of the diet composition of 96 spider species in agricultural and non-agricultural habitats in 24 countries worldwide. The importance of Hemiptera prey was not affected by climatic conditions and was particularily high in smaller spider species in agricultural habitats. Araneae prey was most important for actively hunting, larger spider species in non-agricultural habitats. Collembola prey was most important for small, actively hunting spider species in regions with higher temperature seasonality. Spider species with a higher importance of Araneae prey for their diet also had higher importances of Collembola and lower importances of Hemiptera prey. Future increases of temperature seasonality predicted for several regions worldwide may go along with an increasing importance of Collembola prey which also related to a higher importance of intraguild prey here. Two global change drivers predicted for many regions of the world (increasing climatic seasonality and ongoing conversion of non-agricultural to agricultural land) both hold the potential to increase the importance of Collembola prey in spider diets. The importance of Hemiptera and Araneae prey may however show contrasting responses to these two drivers. These complex potential effects of global change components and their impact on functional traits in spider communities highlight the importance to simultaneously consider multiple drivers of global change to better understand future predator-prey interactions.}, language = {en} } @misc{FengLysakowskiEisenschmidtetal., author = {Feng, Lanya and Lysakowski, Bartosz and Eisenschmidt, Jenny and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {The impact of wildfire and mammal carcasses on beetle emergence from heathland soils}, series = {Ecological Entomology}, volume = {47}, journal = {Ecological Entomology}, number = {5}, issn = {1365-2311}, doi = {10.1111/een.13179}, pages = {883 -- 894}, abstract = {Wildfires alter the composition of insect communities due to fire-induced mortality, and the post-fire vegetation and soil conditions also affect the initial re-colonisation and subsequent local emergence of adults from burnt soils. However, the impact of wildfires on re-colonisation and emergence of carrion-associated scavenging species from soils has previously been neglected. We established an experiment in an unmanaged heathland area that was affected by a severe wildfire in 2017 by adding wild boar carcasses to burnt and unburnt areas 204 days after the wildfire. Adult beetles were then collected with emergence tents at paired sites with and without carcasses and in burnt and unburnt areas from 27 April to 10 August 2018. The wildfire did not significantly affect the diversity or abundance of soil-emerging beetles. Community composition in the burnt area differed significantly from the unburnt area with higher numbers of Staphylinidae and lower numbers of phytophagous beetle families (Curculionidae and Elateridae) emerging from soils, probably reflecting the structurally simpler vegetation and reduced litter one year after the wildfire. Scavenging beetles generally colonise mammal carcasses in burnt areas to the same extent as in unburnt areas, but the post-fire conditions favoured some species with very specialised habitat preferences. A few rare species of conservation concern almost exclusively occurred in the burnt area and in most cases in combination with the presence of a carcass. This result highlights the joint importance of heathland wildfires and carcass resources for species conservation in beetle communities.}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferBaulechnerDiekoetteretal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Baulechner, Dennis and Diek{\"o}tter, Tim and Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Wolters, Volkmar}, title = {Fertilization Rapidly Alters the Feeding Activity of Grassland Soil Mesofauna Independent of Management History}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {10}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2022.864470}, pages = {1 -- 10}, abstract = {Nitrogen fertilization of permanent grasslands affects soil fauna communities by modifying their taxonomic composition, population dynamics and feeding activity. However, it is not well understood if the edaphic fauna adapts to these external inputs so that the immediate response to fertilizer application depends on the long-term nutrient management strategy. We performed a field experiment in permanent grasslands under agricultural management in three regions across Germany. We used experimental fertilization with an organic plant-sourced fertilizer along a long-term nutrient management gradient to study the immediate and long-term effects of fertilization and their interdependence on the taxonomic composition and feeding activity of the soil mesofauna (Nematoda, Oribatida, and Collembola). Sampling season, soil properties, vegetation structure, and geographic location were considered as additional predictor variables to reflect heterogeneity in environmental conditions. The taxonomic composition, richness and total abundance of soil mesofauna communities were significantly affected by long-term nutrient management, but not by experimental fertilization. However, N pulses rapidly (within days) reduced the feeding activity estimated with bait-lamina strips independent of long-term nutrient management strategies. Experimental addition of organic plant-sourced fertilizer may have led to a rapid build-up of microbial biomass, providing alternative food sources for the soil mesofauna and causing a shift away from the bait-lamina substrate. Our study indicates that community changes associated with the long-term nutrient management regime in permanent grasslands do not alter the strong functional response of the soil mesofauna to N pulses. There is an urgent need to develop nutrient management strategies for permanent grasslands that take into account both the conservation of the edaphic faunal community and changes of ecosystem functions caused by rapid responses of the soil mesofauna to fertilizer inputs.}, language = {en} } @misc{RaabRaabBonhageetal., author = {Raab, Thomas and Raab, Alexandra and Bonhage, Alexander and Schneider, Anna and Hirsch, Florian and Birkhofer, Klaus and Drohan, Patrick J. and Wilmking, Martin and Kreyling, J{\"u}rgen and Malik, Ireneusz and Wistuba, Małgorzata and Maaten, Ernst van der and Maaten-Theunissen, Marieke van der and Urich, Tim}, title = {Do small landforms have large effects? A review on the legacies of pre-industrial charcoal burning}, series = {Geomorphology}, volume = {413}, journal = {Geomorphology}, issn = {0169-555X}, doi = {10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108332}, pages = {16}, abstract = {Relict charcoal hearths (RCHs) are small, anthropogenic landforms resulting from past charcoal burning and reaching significant land coverage in pre-industrial mining areas. We review three coupled legacies linked by RCH development: (i) a landscape-scale geomorphic effect, (ii) a unique soil fingerprint, and (iii) an evolving novel ecosystem. The history and technique of charcoal production are described to clarify legacy effects. Applying a recently presented morpho-genetic catalogue is useful for classified mapping of RCH findings. The RCH numbers and calculated RCH densities per study region vary greatly and impose uncertainties due to insufficient methods causing over- or underestimations. Areas with high RCH densities between 50 and 500 RCH/km2 seem reasonable. Machine learning-based remote sensing techniques are promising approaches with which to better assess the full scale of charcoal burning legacies. RCH soil properties feature dark charcoal-rich technogenic substrate layers classified as Auh horizons according to the World Reference Base with significantly increased C contents. These Auh horizons can also exhibit specific physical and chemical properties, such as relatively low bulk density, high porosity, high plant available water content, low thermal conductivity and differences in cation exchange capacity or nutrient status. However, relevant studies are rare, and thus, the effects may differ by study region. Regarding vegetation, there seem to be four main effects: changes in forest structure, species composition, recruitment pattern and productivity. The number of studies on this issue is, however, also very limited. Even fewer studies have examined the soil fauna in RCHs; thus, the reported effects cannot be used to draw general conclusions. Notably, RCH research has made considerable progress in the last five years, especially in the Light Detection and Ranging-based mapping of these small landforms and identification of RCH-specific soil properties, but ecological legacies are not well understood; thus, more interdisciplinary and integrative studies are needed.}, language = {en} } @misc{MuellerBrandlCadotteetal., author = {M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Brandl, Roland and Cadotte, Marc W. and Heibl, Christoph and B{\"a}ssler, Claus and Weiß, Ingmar and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {A replicated study on the response of spider assemblages to regional and local processes}, series = {Ecological Monographs}, volume = {92}, journal = {Ecological Monographs}, number = {3}, issn = {1557-7015}, doi = {10.1002/ecm.1511}, pages = {1 -- 19}, abstract = {Understanding species richness variation among local communities is one of the central topics in ecology, but the complex interplay of regional processes, environmental filtering, and local processes hampers generalization on the importance of different processes. Here, we aim to unravel drivers of spider community assembly in temperate forests by analyzing two independent data sets covering gradients in elevation and forest succession. We test the following four hypotheses: (H1) spider assemblages within a region are limited by dispersal, (H2) local environment has a dominant influence on species composition and (H3) resources, and (H4) biotic interactions both affect species richness patterns. In a comprehensive approach, we studied species richness, abundance, taxonomic composition, and trait-phylogenetic dissimilarity of assemblages. The decrease in taxonomic similarity with increasing spatial distance was very weak, failing to support H1. Functional clustering of species in general and with canopy openness strongly supported H2. Moreover, this hypothesis was supported by a positive correlation between environmental and taxonomic similarity and by an increase in abundance with canopy openness. Resource determination of species richness (H3) could be confirmed only by the decrease of species richness with canopy cover. Finally, decreasing species richness with functional clustering indicating effects of biotic interactions (H4) could only be found in one analysis and only in one data set. In conclusion, our findings indicate that spider assemblages within a region are mainly determined by local environmental conditions, while resource availability, biotic interactions and dispersal play a minor role. Our approach shows that both the analysis of different aspects of species diversity and replication of community studies are necessary to identify the complex interplay of processes forming local assemblages.}, language = {en} } @misc{ArvidssonMontesBirkhofer, author = {Arvidsson, Fredrik and Montes, Melanie S. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Microhabitat conditions affect web-building spider communities and their prey independent of effects of short-term wildlife fencing on forest vegetation}, series = {Journal of Arachnology}, volume = {50}, journal = {Journal of Arachnology}, number = {3}, issn = {1937-2396}, doi = {10.1636/JoA-S-21-046}, pages = {308 -- 313}, abstract = {Spiders play a key role in forest food webs, where they regulate decomposer populations and may act as predators of pests and disease vectors. Spider community composition is determined in part by vegetation structure. Therefore, the exclusion of large mammals, such as deer and wild boar, through wildlife fencing may affect the composition of spider communities and their prey in forest ecosystems. Web-building spiders and their prey were hand-collected in plots that had been fenced for three years, as well as adjacent unfenced plots in a mixed temperate forest in north-eastern Germany. Additionally, spiders in the leaf litter were sampled in fenced and unfenced subareas by sieving litter. Wildlife fencing did not significantly affect spider densities or community composition per microhabitat. However, fencing affected the cover of different microhabitats significantly as there was a higher density of larger trees and higher leaflitter cover in fenced plots while there was a higher percentage of bare ground and deadwood in unfenced plots. Spider communities and their prey composition differed significantly between microhabitats (deciduous trees, coniferous trees, dead wood, understory vegetation, leaf litter) independent of fencing. Thysanoptera prey was mainly caught by spiders on coniferous trees and in the understory vegetation. Heteroptera prey were captured most frequently in the understory vegetation while Hymenoptera (excl. Formicidae) prey were mostly caught on deciduous trees. Several spider species showed a preference between deciduous and coniferous trees in the mixed forest. Wildlife fencing alters the vegetation structure of mixed forests and has indirect effects on spider communities and their role in forest food webs due to alteration of microhabitat availability.}, language = {en} } @misc{FotangDuttonBroeringetal., author = {Fotang, Chefor and Dutton, Paul and Br{\"o}ring, Udo and Roos, Christian and Willie, Jacob and Angwafo, Tsi Evaristus and Chuo, Mvo Denis and Kamgang, Serge Alexis and Enoguanbhor, Evidence Chinedu and Schierack, Peter and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Tool use by Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees for driver ant predation in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, North-West Region Cameroon}, series = {Folia Primatologica}, volume = {94}, journal = {Folia Primatologica}, number = {1}, issn = {1421-9980}, doi = {10.1163/14219980-bja10006}, pages = {73 -- 85}, abstract = {Chimpanzees feed on driver ants (Dorylus sp.) using different tools and predation techniques that vary among populations and can be affected by availability of ant species as well as ecological and social-learning factors. At the Kom-Wum Forest Reserve (KWFR) in Cameroon, we investigated tool use behavior in Nigerian-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti), examining the characteristics of tools used in driver ant predation, looking for possible seasonal patterns and comparing our results to those from other study sites. We recovered 83 tools along line transects and recces (reconnaissance) during two seasons. We found that chimpanzees used tools with blunting and dirty ends (possible digging and probing tools) and tools without (dipping tools), in driver ant predation. Tools with dirty ends tended to be thicker (N = 52), and thinner tools were less likely to have dirt (N = 31). Tools recovered in the wet season (N = 62), were significantly shorter and thicker than those recovered in the dry season (N = 21). Furthermore, driver ant tools recovered at KWFR are on average the longest yet recorded insect dipping tools for chimpanzees comparable to those used in North Uele. We found no evidence of nut-cracking, tool use for honey bee nor termite consumption and did not observe the potential prey remains in chimpanzee faeces despite their presence in the reserve. Our results suggest that seasonality significantly contributes to a divergence in the form of tools selected for driver ant predation.}, language = {en} } @misc{FotangBroeringRoosetal., author = {Fotang, Chefor and Br{\"o}ring, Udo and Roos, Christian and Dutton, Paul and T{\´e}donzong, Luc R. D. and Willie, Jacob and Angwafo, Tsi Evaristus and Yuh, Yisa Ginath and Schierack, Peter and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Mapping suitable habitat for Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, North-Western Cameroon}, series = {Primates}, journal = {Primates}, number = {25}, issn = {1610-7365}, doi = {10.1007/s10329-023-01054-z}, abstract = {Great apes lose suitable habitats required for their reproduction and survival due to human activities across their distribution range in Africa. Little is known about habitat suitability of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee [Pan troglodytes ellioti (Matschie, 1914)], particularly for populations inhabiting forest reserves in North-West Cameroon. To address this knowledge gap, we employed a common species distribution model (MaxEnt) to map and predict suitable habitats for the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, North-West Cameroon, based on environmental factors that potentially affect habitat suitability. We related these environmental factors to a dataset of chimpanzee occurrence points recorded during line transect and reconnaissance (recce) surveys in the forest reserve and surrounding forests. Up to 91\% of the study area is unsuitable for chimpanzees. Suitable habitats only represented 9\% of the study area, with a high proportion of highly suitable habitats located outside the forest reserve. Elevation, secondary forests density, distance to villages and primary forests density were the most important predictors of habitat suitability for the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee. The probability of chimpanzee occurrence increased with elevation, secondary forest density and distance from villages and roads. Our study provides evidence that suitable chimpanzee habitat in the reserve is degraded, suggesting that efforts to maintain protected areas are insufficient. The reserve management plan needs to be improved to conserve the remaining suitable habitat and to avoid local extinction of this endangered subspecies.}, language = {en} } @misc{TlusteBirkhofer, author = {Tluste, Claudia and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {The Roman snail (Gastropoda: Helicidae) is not a generalist herbivore, but shows food preferences for Urtica dioica and plant litter}, series = {Journal of Natural History}, volume = {57}, journal = {Journal of Natural History}, number = {13-16}, issn = {1464-5262}, doi = {10.1080/00222933.2023.2203335}, pages = {758 -- 770}, language = {en} } @misc{UlrichBataryBaudryetal., author = {Ulrich, Werner and Bat{\´a}ry, P{\´e}ter and Baudry, Julia and Beaumelle, L{\´e}a and Bucher, Roman and Čerevkov{\´a}, Andrea and Garcia de la Riva, Enrique and Felipe-Lucia, Maria R. and Gall{\´e}, Robert and Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle and Rembiałkowska, Ewa and Rusch, Adrien and Stanley, Dara A. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {From biodiversity to health: Quantifying the impact of diverse ecosystems on human well-being}, series = {People and Nature}, volume = {5}, journal = {People and Nature}, number = {1}, issn = {2575-8314}, doi = {10.1002/pan3.10421}, pages = {69 -- 83}, language = {en} } @misc{DampteyDjoudiBirkhofer, author = {Damptey, Frederick Gyasi and Djoudi, El Aziz and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Effects of post-mining forest restoration and alternative land uses on ground-dwelling arthropods in Ghana}, series = {Community Ecology}, volume = {24}, journal = {Community Ecology}, issn = {1588-2756}, doi = {10.1007/s42974-023-00144-8}, pages = {215 -- 228}, language = {en} } @misc{KhumKošuličBirkhoferetal., author = {Khum, Warbota and Košulič, Ondřej and Birkhofer, Klaus and Michalko, Radek}, title = {The invasive pathogenic fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus alters predator-herbivore-ash food webs.}, series = {Biological Invasions}, journal = {Biological Invasions}, number = {25}, issn = {1573-1464}, doi = {10.1007/s10530-022-02900-9}, pages = {125 -- 131}, language = {de} } @misc{GarciadelaRivaUlrichBataryetal., author = {Garcia de la Riva, Enrique and Ulrich, Werner and Bat{\´a}ry, P{\´e}ter and Baudry, Julia and Beaumelle, L{\´e}a and Bucher, Roman and Čerevkov{\´a}, Andrea and Felipe-Lucia, Maria R. and Gall{\´e}, Robert and Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle and Rembiałkowska, Ewa and Rusch, Adrien and Seufert, Verena and Stanley, Dara A. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {From functional diversity to human well-being: A conceptual framework for agroecosystem sustainability}, series = {Agricultural Systems}, volume = {208}, journal = {Agricultural Systems}, issn = {1873-2267}, doi = {10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103659}, pages = {16}, language = {en} } @misc{Gavin‐CentolSerranoCarneroMontserratetal., author = {Gav{\´i}n-Centol, Mar{\´i}a Pilar and Serrano-Carnero, Diego and Montserrat, Marta and Meyer, Svenja and Scheu, Stefan and Kundel, Dominika and Fliessbach, Andreas and Truu, Jaak and Birkhofer, Klaus and S{\´a}nchez-Moreno, Sara and Moya-Lara{\~n}o, Jordi}, title = {Severe drought and conventional farming affect detritivore feeding activity and its vertical distribution}, series = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, volume = {69}, journal = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, issn = {1439-1791}, doi = {10.1016/j.baae.2023.03.006}, pages = {49 -- 59}, abstract = {Soil invertebrates are key to decomposition, a central ecosystem process related to soil health. In many temperate areas climate change will decrease soil water content, which strongly modulates biological activity. However, data are lacking on how shifts in rainfall patterns affect soil biota and the ecosystem processes they provide. Here, we used the bait-lamina test to experimentally assess how a severe drought event influenced detritivore feeding activity, during a wheat growing season, in soils under long-term organic or conventional farming. Additionally, biotic and abiotic soil parameters were measured. Feeding activity was reduced under extreme drought and conventional management, although no climate-management synergies were found. Vertical migrations of Collembola and Oribatida partially explained the unexpectedly higher bait consumption at shallower depths in response to drought. Exploratory mixed-effects longitudinal random forests (a novel machine learning technique) were used to explore whether the relative abundances of meso‑, microfauna and microbes of the decomposer food web, or abiotic soil parameters, affected the feeding activity of detritivores. The model including meso‑ and microfauna selected four Nematoda taxa and explained higher variance than the model with only microbiota, indicating that detritivore feeding is closely associated with nematodes but not with microbes. Additionally, the model combining fauna and microbiota explained less variance than the faunal model, suggesting that microbe-fauna synergies barely affected detritivore feeding. Moreover, soil water and mineral nitrogen contents were found to strongly determine detritivore feeding, in a positive and negative way, respectively. Hence, our results suggest that severe drought and conventional farming impair the feeding activity of soil detritivores and thus, probably, decomposition and nutrient mineralization in soils. Furthermore, machine learning algorithms arise as a powerful technique to explore the identity of potential key drivers relating biodiversity to ecosystem functioning.}, language = {en} } @misc{ToelgyesiBatoriPascarellaetal., author = {T{\"o}lgyesi, Csaba and B{\´a}tori, Zolt{\´a}n and Pascarella, John and Erdős, L{\´a}szl{\´o} and T{\"o}r{\"o}k, P{\´e}ter and Bat{\´a}ry, P{\´e}ter and Birkhofer, Klaus and Scherer, Laura and Michalko, Radek and Košulič, Ondřej and Zaller, Johann G. and Gall{\´e}, Robert}, title = {Ecovoltaics: Framework and future research directions to reconcile land-based solar power development with ecosystem conservation}, series = {Biological Conservation}, volume = {285}, journal = {Biological Conservation}, issn = {0006-3207}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110242}, abstract = {Renewable energy production is gaining momentum globally as a way to combat climate change without drastically reducing human energy consumption. Solar energy offers the fastest developing solution. However, ground-mounted solar panels have a high land requirement, which leads to conflicts with other land use types, particularly agriculture and biodiversity conservation. The dual land use of agrivoltaics, i.e., continuing agricultural production under and between solar panels, may alleviate farmers' concerns, but less effort has been made to reconcile solar development with biodiversity conservation. Here we provide a framework for creating a win-win situation for this growing challenge using recent literature on solar park habitats complemented with ecological theories. We also highlight important knowledge gaps that future research should address. Our framework uses a unique land-sharing approach and is based on five pillars that cover key aspects of solar park planning and maintenance: (1) eco-smart siting in the landscape, which considers ecological interactions with the landscape matrix and trade-offs between multiple small vs. fewer large solar parks; (2) eco-smart park layout to address the ecological aspects of the spatial configuration of solar park infrastructure; (3) creation of diverse, novel grassland ecosystems with high ecosystem service provisioning capacity using a trait-based ecosystem design approach; (4) management of the novel ecosystem throughout the lifespan of the solar parks; and (5) ensuring stakeholder engagement to integrate this in a viable business model with high community acceptance. With this framework, we open the way for a new multifunctional land use type: the ecovoltaic park.}, language = {en} } @misc{BoetzlSponslerAlbrechtetal., author = {Boetzl, Fabian and Sponsler, Douglas and Albrecht, Matthias and Bat{\´a}ry, P{\´e}ter and Birkhofer, Klaus and Knapp, Michal and Krauss, Jochen and Maas, Bea and Martin, Emily A. and Sirami, Cl{\´e}lia and Sutter, Louis and Bertrand, Colette and Baillod, Aliette and Bota, Gerard and Bretagnolle, Vincent and Brotons, Llu{\´i}s and Frank, Thomas and Fusser, Moritz and Giralt, David and Gonz{\´a}lez, Ezequiel and Hof, Anouschka and Luka, Henryk and Marrec, Ronan and Nash, Michael and Ng, Katherina and Plantegenest, Manuel and Poulin, Brigitte and Siriwardena, Gavin and Zubair-Anjum, Muhammad and Entling, Martin and Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf and Schirmel, Jens}, title = {Distance functions of carabids in crop fields depend on functional traits, crop type and adjacent habitat: a synthesis}, series = {Proceedings Royal Society. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {Vol. 291}, journal = {Proceedings Royal Society. Series B, Biological sciences}, issn = {1471-2954}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2023.2383}, pages = {1 -- 10}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferBirdAlfeusetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Bird, Tharina and Alfeus, Martha and Arvidsson, Fredrik and Buxton, Mmabaledi and Djoudi, El Aziz and Fabiano, Ezequiel Chimbioputo and Kasinda, Eva and Machekano, Honest and Mpofu, Precious and Nghipunya, Esther N. and Segaiso, Bame Alice and Nyamukondiwa, Casper}, title = {Smallholder agriculture in African dryland agroecosystems has limited impact on trophic group composition, but affects arthropod provision of ecosystem services}, series = {Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment}, volume = {363}, journal = {Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment}, issn = {0167-8809}, doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2023.108860}, pages = {11}, abstract = {Agricultural intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss, but the majority of studies highlighting these threats come from industrialised agriculture in temperate countries of the global North. However, more than 30\% of global food production is produced by smallholder farmers, particularly in Africa. We know very little about the impact of these farming practices on arthropod communities and associated ecosystems in dryland agroecosystems. We investigated the trophic group composition of arthropod communities (detritivorous, herbivorous, predatory \& mixed feeders) and levels of associated ecosystem functions in replicated maize fields, paired adjacent natural bushveld habitats and the edge habitats between them in north-eastern Namibia and central-eastern Botswana during the dry and wet seasons. Predator activity densities differed significantly between habitats depending on the season, with higher numbers in natural habitats in the wet season but lower numbers in the dry season compared to maize fields. In general, edge habitats had higher numbers of predators than the other habitats. Predator attack rates on artificial caterpillars in both seasons and dung removal in the wet season were higher in habitats with natural vegetation (natural and edge). However, dung removal in the dry season and herbivory in the wet season were highest in the maize fields, the latter due to high level of fall armyworm infestation. Wet season multifunctionality was higher in natural habitats in Botswana, and to a lesser extent in Namibia, than in maize fields. Smallholder agriculture is not detrimental to decomposers, herbivores and mixed feeders compared to adjacent natural habitats, but may be detrimental to the provision of some ecosystem services. These results highlight the challenge of sustainably managing dryland agricultural land that is marginal for crop production, while providing smallholders with an optimal environment to benefit from the ecosystem services associated with arthropod communities. New conservation agriculture practices need to support the production of higher and more stable yields over time, while maintaining the limited impact of smallholder agriculture on biotic communities.}, language = {en} } @misc{BucherBataryBaudryetal., author = {Bucher, Roman and Batary, Peter and Baudry, Julia and Beaumelle, Lea and Cerevkova, Andrea and Garcia de la Riva, Enrique and Djoudi, El Aziz and Dirilgen, Tara and Galle, Robert and Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle and O´Reilly, Alison and Rembialkowska, Ewa and Rusch, Adrien and Smith, Henrik G. and Stanley, Dara A. and Roberts, Stuart P.M. and Ulrich, Werner and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Land-use impacts on crop yield : direct and indirect roles of arthropods and associated ecosystem services in European farmland}, series = {Landscape ecology}, volume = {40}, journal = {Landscape ecology}, number = {97}, publisher = {Springer Science + Business Media B.V}, issn = {1572-9761}, doi = {10.1007/s10980-025-02117-w}, pages = {1 -- 19}, abstract = {Context Land-use intensification to increase yields is often detrimental to biodiversity undermining the provision of ecosystem services. However, it is questionable if ecosystem service providers contribute to ecological intensification by achieving the same or higher yields than conventional high-intensity agriculture. Objectives In this study, we aimed to disentangle the effects of local and landscape-scale land-use intensification on arthropod communities and their contribution to ecosystem services and crop yield. A set of meta-analytic structural equation models allowed us to assess direct and indirect relationships in the cascade from land use to yield. Methods We selected 37 datasets containing information on land use, community composition, levels of pollination and natural pest control services, and crop yield. We quantified functional diversity of communities by collecting trait information for three exemplary groups of service-providers: bees, ground beetles, and spiders. Results Local land-use intensification reduced the abundance of all arthropod groups. Spiders were the only group whose species richness was negatively related to a higher percentage of arable land in the landscape. High abundance of bees related positively to oilseed rape pollination and crop yields. In the models for the two predator groups, crop yield was strongly determined by land use, independent of the pest control services provided by natural enemies. Conclusions Our results suggest a potential for ecological intensification mediated by land-use change in crops where pollination benefits yield, but suggest more nuanced effects for pest control. Our study also calls for experiments on multiple taxonomic groups and ecosystem services that apply comparable methods at similar scales.}, language = {en} }