NDLI: Converting natural vegetation to farmland alters functional structure of ground-dwelling beetles and spiders in a desert oasis

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Li, Feng Rui Liu, Ji Liang Sun, Te Sheng Jin, Bo Wen Chen, Li Juan
Copyright Year	2014
Abstract	A vast area of native shrub-dominated steppe at the margins of desert oases in arid regions of China had been reclaimed as farmland in the last century for grain production to feed growing human populations. This study evaluated the consequences of this land-use change on the activity density, taxa richness and composition of functional groups (herbivores, predators and detritivores) of ground-dwelling beetles and spiders, which include some important ecological groups of natural enemies of insect pests (e.g. predatory spiders and beetles), pollinators and decomposers (e.g. detritivorous beetles). Ground-dwelling beetles and spiders were collected using pitfall traps in native steppe habitats and adjacent irrigated farmland of different ages (cultivated either for 27 or at least for 90 years). It was found the conversion of native steppe to farmland, regardless of farmland age, led to a significant increase in activity density of predators, with a greater increase in 90-year-old farmland than in 27-year-old farmland, but did not affect their taxa richness. However, native steppe conversion to farmland, regardless of farmland age, led to significant declines in activity density and taxa richness of both detritivores and herbivores, with a much greater decrease of activity or richness in detritivores than in herbivores in both farmland types. We also observed taxa-specific responses to the land conversion within functional groups. The functional composition of the beetle and spider community shifted from a community dominated by detritivores in the native steppe sites to one dominated by predators in the irrigated farmland sites. Our results suggest that the different functional groups of ground-dwelling beetles and spiders responded in a different way to the land conversion. The remarkable increase in predators and the dramatic decline in detritivores by converting natural vegetation to agricultural land are expected to strongly affect the desert ecosystem services such as biological pest control, pollination and decomposition.
Starting Page	57
Ending Page	67
Page Count	11
File Format	PDF
ISSN	1366638X
Journal	Journal of Insect Conservation
Volume Number	18
Issue Number	1
e-ISSN	15729753
Language	English
Publisher	Springer International Publishing
Publisher Date	2014-02-12
Publisher Place	Cham
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Agricultural expansion Biological pest control Detritivorous arthropods Ecosystem services Land-use change Predatory arthropods Entomology Conservation Biology/Ecology Biodiversity Animal Ecology Life Sciences
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Ecology Animal Science and Zoology Nature and Landscape Conservation Insect Science

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