@article {1188, title = {Soil Health and Arthropods: From Complex System to Worthwhile Investigation}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, year = {2020}, month = {16/01/2020}, pages = {1-21}, abstract = {

The dramatic increase in soil degradation in the last few decades has led to the need to identify methods to define not only soil quality but also, in a holistic approach, soil health. In the past twenty years, indices based on living communities have been proposed alongside the already proven physical-chemical methods. Among them, some soil invertebrates have been included in monitoring programs as bioindicators of soil quality. Being an important portion of soil fauna, soil arthropods are involved in many soil processes such as organic matter decomposition and translocation, nutrient cycling, microflora activity regulation and bioturbation. Many studies have reported the use of soil arthropods to define soil quality; among taxa, some have been explored more in depth, typically Acari and Collembola, while generally less abundant groups, such as Palpigradi or Embioptera, have not been investigated much. This paper aims to evaluate and compare the use of different soil microarthropod taxa in soil degradation/quality studies to highlight which groups are the most reported for soil monitoring and which are the most sensitive to soil degradation. We have decided not to include the two most present and abundant taxa, Acari and Collembola, in this paper in consideration of the vast amount of existing literature and focus the discussion on the other microarthropod groups. We reported some studies for each taxon highlighting the use of the group as soil quality indicator. A brief section reporting some indices based on soil microarthropods is proposed at the end of this specific discussion. This paper can be considered as a reference point in the use of soil arthropods to estimate soil quality and health.

}, keywords = {bioindicators, macroarthropods, mesofauna, microarthropods, soil biodiversity, soil degradation, soil quality}, issn = {2075-4450}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11010054}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/1/54}, author = {Menta, Cristina and Remelli, Sara} } @article {1159, title = {Soil Arthropod Responses in Agroecosystem: Implications of Different Management and Cropping Systems}, journal = {Agronomy}, volume = {10}, year = {2020}, month = {09/07/2020}, pages = {1-19}, abstract = {

The EU\’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP 2014\–2020) on soil management points to the combination of sustainable food production with environmental protection, reduction of CO2 emissions, and safeguarding of soil biodiversity. In this study, three farms (in the Emilia-Romagna region), managed with both conventional and conservation practices (the last ones with and without sub-irrigation systems), were monitored from 2014 to 2017 to highlight the impact of different crops and soil managements on soil arthropods, in terms of abundance, composition, and soil biological quality (applying QBS-ar index). To do this, linear mixed models were performed, whereas arthropods assemblages were studied through PERMANOVA and SIMPER analysis. Soil communities varied among farms, although most differences were found among crops depending on management practices. Nonetheless, conservation systems and a wider reduction in anthropogenic practices provided better conditions for soil fauna, enhancing QBS-ar. Moreover, arthropod groups responded to soil practices differently, highlighting their sensitivity to agricultural management. Community assemblages in corn and wheat differed between managements, mainly due to Acari and Collembola, respectively. In conservation management, wheat showed the overall greatest abundance of arthropods, owing to the great number of Acari, Collembola, and Hymenoptera, while the number of arthropod groups were generally higher in crop residues of forage.

Recommended citation: Menta C, Conti FD, Lozano Fond\ón C, Staffilani F, Remelli S (2020): Soil Arthropod Responses in Agroecosystem: Implications of Different Management and Cropping Systems. Agronomy, 10 (7), Art. 982: 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10070982

}, keywords = {bioindicators, land management, mesofauna, soil biodiversity, soil degradation, soil quality}, issn = {2073-4395}, doi = {10.3390/agronomy10070982}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/7/982}, author = {Menta, Cristina and Conti, Federica Delia and Lozano Fond{\'o}n, Carlos and Staffilani, Francesca and Remelli, Sara} } @article {1158, title = {Response of the Arthropod Community to Soil Characteristics and Management in the Franciacorta Viticultural Area (Lombardy, Italy)}, journal = {Agronomy}, volume = {10}, year = {2020}, month = {21/05/2020}, pages = {1-15}, abstract = {

Soil represents an important pool of biodiversity, hosting about a quarter of the living species on our planet. This soil richness has led to increasing interest in the structural and functional characteristics of its biodiversity. Studies of arthropod responses, in terms of abundance and taxon richness, have increased in relation to their ecological value as bioindicators of environmental change. This research was carried out over the 2014\–2018 period with the aim to better understand arthropod taxa responses in vineyard soils in Franciacorta (Lombardy, Italy). To determine the biological composition in terms of arthropod taxa presence, one hundred soil samples were analysed. Environmental characteristics, such as chemical composition, soil moisture and temperature, and soil management were characterized for each soil sample. A total of 19 taxa were identified; the NMDS model analysis and the cluster analysis divided them into five groups according to their co-occurrence patterns. Each group was related to certain abiotic conditions; of these, soil moisture, temperature and organic matter were shown to be significant. A decision tree analysis showed that a longer period since conversion from conventional to organic farming lead to a higher arthropod biodiversity defined as a higher number of taxa.

Recommended citation: Ghiglieno I, Simonetto A, Orlando F, Donna P, Tonni M, Valenti L, Gilioli G. Response of the Arthropod Community to Soil Characteristics and Management in the Franciacorta Viticultural Area (Lombardy, Italy). Agronomy, 10 (5), Art. 740: 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10050740

}, keywords = {co-occurrence patterns, soil biodiversity, soil moisture, soil organic matter, soil pH, soil temperature, vineyard, vineyard management}, issn = {2073-4395}, doi = {10.3390/agronomy10050740}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/5/740}, author = {Ghiglieno, Isabella and Simonetto, Anna and Orlando, Francesca and Donna, Pierluigi and Tonni, Marco and Valenti, Leonardo and Gilioli, Gianni} } @article {1157, title = {Management Intensification of Hay Meadows and Fruit Orchards Alters Soil Macro- Invertebrate Communities Differently}, journal = {Agronomy}, volume = {10}, year = {2020}, month = {28/05/2020}, pages = {1-9}, abstract = {

Land-use changes and especially management intensification currently pose a major threat to biodiversity both on and beneath the soil surface. With a comparative approach, we investigated how management intensity in orchards and meadows influences soil macro-invertebrate communities in a North-Italian Alpine region. We compared soil fauna assemblies from traditional low-input sites with respective intensively managed ones. As expected, the taxonomical richness and diversity were lower in both intensive management types. Extensive management of both types revealed similar communities, while intensification led to substantial differences between management types. From these results, we conclude that intensification of agricultural practices severely alters the soil fauna community and biodiversity in general, however, the direction of these changes is governed by the management type. In our view, extensive management, traditional for mountain areas, favors soil fauna communities that have adapted over a long time and can thus be viewed as a sustainable reference condition for new production systems that consider the protection of soil diversity in order to conserve essential ecosystem functions.

Recommended citation: Guariento E, Colla F, Steinwandter M, Plunger J, Tappeiner U, Seeber J. (2020): Management Intensification of Hay Meadows and Fruit Orchards Alters Soil Macro- Invertebrate Communities Differently. Agronomy, 10 (6), Art. 767: 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10060767

}, keywords = {management intensity, mountain agriculture, soil biodiversity, South Tyrol, sustainable agriculture, traditional management}, issn = {2073-4395}, doi = {10.3390/agronomy10060767}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/6/767}, author = {Guariento, Elia and Colla, Filippo and Steinwandter, Michael and Plunger, Julia and Tappeiner, Ulrike and Seeber, Julia} } @article {1085, title = {Macrofauna del suelo y condiciones edafoclim{\'a}ticas en un gradiente altitudinal de zonas cafeteras, Huila, Colombia}, journal = {Revista de Biolog{\'\i}a Tropical}, volume = {69}, year = {2020}, month = {26/10/2020}, pages = {102-112}, abstract = {

Soil macrofauna and edaphoclimatic conditions in an altitude gradient of coffee growing regions, Huila, Colombia

Abstract: Introduction: Soil macrofauna plays a key role in soil processes and therefore regulates the supply of ecosystem services; however, its level of activity depends largely of the edaphoclimatic conditions. Objective: This work evaluated the effect of altitude gradient on soil macrofauna communities and edafoclimatic properties in coffee zones of North Huila. Methods: The study included 12 coffee lots separated in two altitude gradients: low (1 300-1 600 masl) and high (1 600-1 900 masl). Soil macrofauna was collected by means of monoliths (25 x 25 cm with 30 cm depth) and edaphoclimatic conditions were studied. Results: A total of 9 520 individuals m-2 and a specific richness of 14 taxa were registered. The edaphoclimatic conditions with the greatest statistical difference between altitude gradients were the environmental temperature and relative humidity with differences of 4.9 \°C and 10.4 \%, respectively. Conclusions: The highest abundance of Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Isoptera, Lepidoptera was presented in warmer sites, that is, altitude gradient 1 300-1 600 masl, while Chilopoda and Diplopoda adapted better to colder sites in altitude gradient 1 600-1 900 m.a.s.l.

}, keywords = {climate, coffee, elevation, soil biodiversity}, issn = {0034-7744}, doi = {10.15517/rbt.v69i1.42955}, url = {https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/42955}, author = {Machado Cuellar, Leidy and Rodr{\'\i}guez Su{\'a}rez, Leonardo and Murcia Torrejano, Valent{\'\i}n and Orduz Tovar, Sergio Andr{\'e}s and Ordo{\~n}ez Espinosa, Claudia Mercedes and Su{\'a}rez, Juan Carlos} }