Mutual and Opposing Responses of Carabid Beetles and Predatory Wasps to Local and Landscape Factors in Vineyards

Vineyard Management and Its Impacts on Soil Biodiversity, Functions, and Ecosystem Services

Healthy soils form the basis of sustainable viticulture, where soil characteristics have a direct impact on wine quantity and quality. Soil not only provides water and nutrients to vines, but is also a living medium containing micro- and macroorganisms that perform many ecological functions and provide ecosystem services. These organisms are involved in many processes, from decomposing organic matter to providing minerals to vine roots. They also control diseases, pests, and weeds, in addition to improving the soil structure in terms of its capacity to retain water and nutrients. Related to decomposition processes, the carbon content of vineyard soils influences fertility, erosion and biogeochemical cycles, with significant implications for the global climate. However, common agricultural practices represent strong threats to biodiversity and associated ecosystem services provided by vineyard soils. As consumers increasingly consider environmental aspects in their purchase decisions, winegrowers have to adapt their vineyard management strategies, raising the demand for sustainable pest- and weed-control methods. This article presents a comprehensive review of the impacts of vineyard practices on the soil ecosystem, biodiversity, and biodiversity-based ecosystem services, and provides future prospects for sustainable viticulture.

Ecological Infrastructures May Enhance Lepidopterans Predation in Irrigated Mediterranean Farmland, Depending on Their Typology and the Predator Guild

Ecological infrastructures (EIs) are considered relevant components in agricultural landscapes to support biodiversity and ecosystem services. We used the predatory attacks on lepidopteran dummies as a proxy to assess predation rates in the agricultural matrix and different EIs types according to their location and vegetation structure. We aimed at comparing the effect of different types of EI on the predation intensity in two intensively irrigated agricultural areas located in the Sorraia and Tagus river valleys in central Portugal. We hypothesized that: (1) the predation rate would be higher near EIs compared with the agricultural matrix, (2) the positive effect of EIs on predation rate would differ with their typologies, and (3) the EIs’ proximity and proportion in the surrounding landscape would have a positive effect on the predation rate in agricultural fields. The EI typologies influenced differently the predator groups and the overall predation rate. Major differences were observed for bird predation, being higher in woody EIs. A positive correlation between predation rate and EIs area of the surrounding landscape, as well as a negative correlation with the distance to the nearest riparian and woody EIs, was observed for birds. The observed dissimilarities in the predators’ response may be related to habitat differences and its functional connectivity. The overall monthly low predation rates are possibly related to the intensive agricultural system and the small area occupied by EIs.

The Modeling and Forecasting of Carabid Beetle Distribution in Northwestern China

Simple Summary

The relationship between species and environment are an important basis for the study of biodiversity. Most researchers have found the distribution of indicator insects such as carabid beetle at the local community scale; however, a few studies on the distribution of indicator insects in grassland in China. Here, we used Generalized Additive Models (GAM) to predict temperate steppe of northwestern China carabid beetle species richness distribution, and to determine the possible underlying causal factors. Predicted values of beetle richness ranged from 3 to 12. The diversity hotspots are located in the southwest, south and southeast of the study area which have moist environment, the carabid beetle is mainly influenced by temperature and precipitation. The results underline the importance of management and conservation strategies for grassland and also provides evidence for assessing beetle diversity in temperature steppe.

Abstract

Beetles are key insect species in global biodiversity and play a significant role in steppe ecosystems. In the temperate steppe of China, the increasing degeneration of the grasslands threatens beetle species and their habitat. Using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs), we aimed to predict and map beetle richness patterns within the temperate steppe of Ningxia (China). We tested 19 environmental predictors including climate, topography, soil moisture and space as well as vegetation. Climatic variables (temperature, precipitation, soil temperature) consistently appeared among the most important predictors for beetle groups modeled. GAM generated predictive cartography for the study area. Our models explained a significant percentage of the variation in carabid beetle richness (79.8%), carabid beetle richness distribution seems to be mainly influenced by temperature and precipitation. The results have important implications for management and conservation strategies and also provides evidence for assessing and making predictions of beetle diversity across the steppe.