Landscape and site effects on Collembola diversity and abundance in winter oilseed rape fields in eastern Austria

• Published in: Agriculture, ecosystems & environment Vol. 164; pp. 145 - 154
• Main Authors: Querner, P., Bruckner, A., Drapela, T., Moser, D., Zaller, J.G., Frank, T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01-01-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abundance; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Austria; Biological and medical sciences; Biological diversity; Brassica napus; Collembola; Correlation; Dispersal; Epigeic and endogeic species; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agroecology; General agroecology. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development. Rural area planning. Landscaping; General agronomy. Plant production; Generalities. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development; Grasslands; Habitats; Landscape diversity; Landscapes; Oilseed rape; Soil (material); Species richness; Central Europe; Austria; Europe; Epigeic and endogeic species; Austria; Dispersal; Brassica napus; Collembola; Species richness; Landscape diversity; Brassica napus var. oleifera; Insecta; In situ; Biodiversity; Winter; Cruciferae; Dicotyledones; Dissemination; Angiospermae; Species; Ecological abundance; Meiofauna; Epigeal; Landscape; Fauna; Ecology; Arthropoda; Winter crops; Spermatophyta; Subterranean medium; Invertebrata; Oil plant (vegetal)
• ISSN: 0167-8809; 1873-2305
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2012.09.016

► Epigeic and endogeic Collembola are both influenced by landscape parameters. ► Landscape diversity had the strongest effect. ► Landscape-scale dispersal of Collembola may be also a widespread phenomenon. ► Collembola are probably actively migration from bordering patches. ► Passive dispersal with wind is probably constantly taking place.
Soil animals are rarely considered in landscape ecology although recent findings show that landscape composition and habitat fragmentation may exert a strong influence on their communities. We assessed the relationships between landscape parameters and the species richness of Collembola (springtails) in agricultural eastern Austria, hypothesizing that the richness of surface active (epigeic) species are more significantly correlated with landscape-scale parameters than soil living (endogeic) species. We used pitfall traps and soil samples to measure species richness and abundance of the two life forms in 29 oilseed rape fields in differently structured landscapes.
Epigeic species richness was positively correlated to landscape parameters like landscape diversity, habitat richness, isolation of open habitats and area of oilseed rape fields at small to medium (250–1000m) and at larger (1000–1750m) landscape scales around the investigated sites. Endogeic species richness was also significantly correlated with landscape parameters like landscape diversity and road-side strip length. Total species richness was significantly correlated with landscape diversity at a larger scale, isolation of open habitats and proportion of woody area at a smaller spatial scale. Landscape diversity measures explained a higher percentage of the diversity of epigeic (42%) than of endogeic diversity (32%). Epigeic abundance was not significantly correlated to any of the site parameters, but with landscape parameters like oilseed rape area, woody area and minimum distance to dry grassland. Endogeic abundance was only correlated to oilseed rape cover.
Our results suggest that parameters associated with landscape diversity can be good predictors of Collembola diversity at two spatial scales: At small scales probably due to active migration from bordering hedges, forests or grasslands; and at larger scales possibly due to passive wind dispersal. Soil ecologists rarely take landscape-scale variables into account, and our findings may contribute to broader recognition of the importance of landscape parameters in investigations of soil biota.