TY - GEN A1 - Feng, Lanya A1 - Arvidsson, Fredrik A1 - Djoudi, El Aziz A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Terrestrial generalist predators have larger isotopic niches but rely less on aquatic prey at a natural compared to a post-mining lakeshore T2 - Food webs N2 - The flooded pits from former opencast mining (post-mining lakes) are young aquatic ecosystems often with low primary productivity due to the high acidity. The limited availability of nutrients and simplified aquatic food webs in these artificial lakes may affect the matter fluxes towards food webs in adjacent terrestrial habitats. To understand the impact of emerging prey from a post-mining lake on terrestrial food webs and associated arthropod communities, we compared the emergence and activity of arthropods as well as the isotopic niches of generalist predators and their potential prey between lakeshores of a post-mining and a natural lake. We used aquatic and terrestrial emergence tents to sample potential prey that emerged locally (Collembola and Diptera) and pitfall traps to sample terrestrial arthropod predators (Carabidae and Araneae) from lakeshores. Community and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analyses were performed to compare diversity and isotopic niches of generalist arthropod predators between the natural and post-mining lakeshores. The number of emerging aquatic and terrestrial prey did not differ significantly between lakes, but the δ15N values of aquatic emerging dipterans differed between the two lakes. Predator community diversity did not differ significantly between lakeshores, but generalist predator species from the natural lakeshore generally had larger isotopic niche sizes than the same species at the post-mining lakeshore indicating a more diverse diet. Additional estimates of diet composition suggest that predators at the natural lakeshore utilized aquatic prey to a lesser degree than at the post-mining lake, but still had a more diverse diet. KW - Carabids KW - Food web KW - Post-mining lake KW - Spiders KW - Stable isotopes KW - Subsidies Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2024.e00368 SN - 2352-2496 VL - 41 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schnerch, Benjamin A1 - Bucher, Roman A1 - Djoudi, El Aziz A1 - Hossain, Mohammad A1 - Bapfubusa Niyibizi, Ingrid Aline A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Growth stage, management and habitat influence the taxonomic and functional composition of arthropod communities in apple orchards T2 - Agriculture, ecosystems & environment N2 - Apples are the most cultivated fruits in temperate regions, and their production relies on heavy use of synthetic pesticides, causing major environmental problems and the loss of biodiversity. Pests in tree canopies are commonly controlled by the use of synthetic pesticides, but habitat manipulations in orchard alleys are an alternative practice to promote natural pest control services. Integrated pest management (IPM) and organic production methods are considered to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly than conventional production, but the knowledge of the differences between arthropod communities in IPM and organic apple orchards differ from each other is limited. Therefore, we sampled alley and canopy arthropod communities in eight orchards under IPM and eight organic apple orchards, respectively, during three sampling dates in the apple growing season. Our results show that seasonal effects predominantly shape the taxonomic composition and abundance of arthropod community, especially within canopy habitats, while management effects are context-dependent for several taxonomic groups. The species composition of spider communities in canopy habitats differed significantly between management systems depending on dates, with some common species being more abundant in IPM than in organic orchards later in the season. The functional diversity of spider communities was significantly lower in the orchard alleys than in tree canopies, and increased in alley, but decreased in canopy habitats over time. Communities in IPM orchards had a higher proportion of spiders with ballooning ability, indicating that aerial dispersal is more common for spiders in IPM compared to organic orchards. The results of this study highlight the context dependency of management effects on the taxonomic and functional composition of arthropod communities, as these are likely to be most pronounced at certain times of the growing season and in certain habitats. Functional diversity and trait composition were more sensitive to management differences than taxonomic composition. Our results therefore emphasise the need to consider both taxonomic and functional metrics, and to incorporate seasonal and habitat considerations, when assessing the effects of sustainable management practices on arthropod communities in the future KW - Community composition KW - Insects KW - Integrated pest management (IPM) KW - Organic farming KW - Spiders KW - Functional traits KW - Araneae Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.109901 VL - 394 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier BV CY - Amsterdam ER -