Loss of biological diversity is one of the greatest challenges that our civilization must face nowadays. Reaction to the diminishing biodiversity of agricultural landscapes is various measures promoting free-living organisms. The study deals with the vegetation composition and structure of agro-environmental-climatic measures applied on arable land in operating conditions (intensively farmed regions of the Czech Republic). Additional study focus was applied to a popular measure of the feeding bio-belts. Bio-belts are not only hiding places for free-living animals but can provide them a rich food offer in the period from the harvest of main crops until winter. Thanks to the bio-belts, the landscape gains in biodiversity, and sloping sites can be protected from soil erosion. The vegetation of land parts used as bio-belts was assessed using phytocoenological relevés. Dominant plant species sown in the bio-belts were Avena sativa, Panicum miliaceum, Brassica oleracea var. acephala, Fagopyrum esculentum, Phacelia tanacetifolia, and Pisum arvense. Apart from the sown plants, there were also weeds occurring in the bio-belts, of which the most abundant were Chenopodium album, Amaranthus retroflexus, Setaria verticillata, Cirsium arvense, Equisetum arvense, etc. Risks connected with the realization of feeding bio-belts in respect of weeds occurring on arable land are negligible. Weeds from bio-belts have only a limited potential to spread to adjacent arable land. A potential spreading of weeds from the bio-belts to adjacent arable land was not demonstrated. On the contrary, thanks to its composition, the vegetation of bio-belts has the potential to extend the food offer for animals. Thus, bio-belts are useful for supporting biodiversity in regions intensively used for agriculture.
Citation: Helena Hanusová, Karolína Juřenová, Erika Hurajová, Magdalena Daria Vaverková, Jan Winkler. Vegetation structure of bio-belts as agro-environmentally-climatic measures to support biodiversity on arable land: A case study[J]. AIMS Agriculture and Food, 2022, 7(4): 883-896. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2022054
Loss of biological diversity is one of the greatest challenges that our civilization must face nowadays. Reaction to the diminishing biodiversity of agricultural landscapes is various measures promoting free-living organisms. The study deals with the vegetation composition and structure of agro-environmental-climatic measures applied on arable land in operating conditions (intensively farmed regions of the Czech Republic). Additional study focus was applied to a popular measure of the feeding bio-belts. Bio-belts are not only hiding places for free-living animals but can provide them a rich food offer in the period from the harvest of main crops until winter. Thanks to the bio-belts, the landscape gains in biodiversity, and sloping sites can be protected from soil erosion. The vegetation of land parts used as bio-belts was assessed using phytocoenological relevés. Dominant plant species sown in the bio-belts were
| [1] |
Andreasen C, Stryhn H, Streibig JC (1996) Decline of the flora of Dutch arable fields. J Appl Ecol 33: 619–626. https://doi.org/10.2307/2404990 doi: 10.2307/2404990
|
| [2] |
Sutcliffe OL, Kay QON (2000) Changes in the arable flora of central southern England since the 1960s. Biol Conserv 93: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00119-6 doi: 10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00119-6
|
| [3] |
Fried G, Petit S, Dessaint F, et al. (2009) Arable weed decline in Northern France: Crop edges as refugia for weed conservation? Biol Conserv 142: 238–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008.09.029 doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2008.09.029
|
| [4] |
Wilson S, Mitchell GW, Pasher J, et al. (2017) Influence of crop type, heterogeneity and woody structure on avian biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Ecol Indic 83: 218–226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.07.059 doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.07.059
|
| [5] |
Lomba A, da Costa JF, Ramil-Rego P, et al. (2022) Assessing the link between farming systems and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes: Insights from Galicia (Spain). J Environ Manage 317: 115335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115335 doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115335
|
| [6] |
Thomine E, Mumford J, Rusch A, et al. (2022) Using crop diversity to lower pesticide use: Socio-ecological approaches. Sci Total Environ 804: 150156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150156 doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150156
|
| [7] |
Singh A (2017) Managing the environmental problems of irrigated agriculture through the appraisal of groundwater recharge. Ecol Indic 92: 388–393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.11.065 doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.11.065
|
| [8] |
Marshall EJP, Brown VK, Boatman ND, et al. (2003) The role of weeds in supporting biological diversity within crop fields. Weed Res 43: 7–89. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3180.2003.00326.x doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3180.2003.00326.x
|
| [9] |
Nagy GG, Ladányi M, Arany I, et al. (2017) Birds and plants: Comparing biodiversity indicators in eight lowland agricultural mosaic landscapes in Hungary. Ecol Indic 73: 566–573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.09.053 doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.09.053
|
| [10] |
Yvoz S, Cordeau S, Ploteau A, et al. (2021a) A framework to estimate the contribution of weeds to the delivery of ecosystem (dis) services in agricultural landscapes. Ecol Indic 132: 108321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108321 doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108321
|
| [11] |
Chancellor RJ (1985) Changes in the weed flora of an arable cultivated field for 20 years. J Appl Ecol 22: 491–501. https://doi.org/10.2307/2403180 doi: 10.2307/2403180
|
| [12] |
Hald AB (1999) The impact of changing the season in which cereals are sown on the diversity of the weed flora in rotational fields in Denmark. J Appl Ecol 36: 24–32. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2664.1999.00364.x doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2664.1999.00364.x
|
| [13] |
Krähmer H, Andreasen C, Economou-Antonaka G, et al. (2020) Weed surveys and weed mapping in Europe: State of the art and future tasks. Crop Prot 129: 105010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2019.105010 doi: 10.1016/j.cropro.2019.105010
|
| [14] | Preston CD, Pearman DA, Dines T (2002) New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Oxford University Press, Oxford. |
| [15] |
Hyvönen T, Ketoja E, Salonen J, et al. (2003) Weed species diversity and community composition in organic and conventional cropping of spring cereals. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 97: 131–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(03)00117-8 doi: 10.1016/S0167-8809(03)00117-8
|
| [16] |
Wilson PJ, Aebischer NJ (1995) The distribution of dicotyledonous arable weeds in relation to distance from the field edge. J Appl Ecol 32: 295–310. https://doi.org/10.2307/2405097 doi: 10.2307/2405097
|
| [17] |
Kleijn D, van der Voort LAC (1997) Conservation headlands for rare arable weeds: The effects of fertiliser application and light penetration on plant growth. Biol Conserv 81: 57–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(96)00153-X doi: 10.1016/S0006-3207(96)00153-X
|
| [18] |
Solé-Senan XO, Juárez-Escario A, Conesa JA, et al. (2014) Plant diversity in Mediterranean cereal fields: Unraveling the effect of landscape complexity on rare arable plants. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 185: 221–230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-8042-7 doi: 10.1007/s10661-019-8042-7
|
| [19] |
Yvoz S, Cordeau S, Zuccolo C, et al. (2020) Crop type and within-field location as sources of intraspecific variations in the phenology and the production of floral and fruit resources by weeds. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 302: 107082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2020.107082 doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2020.107082
|
| [20] |
Critchley CNR, Allen DS, Fowbert JA, et al. (2004) Habitat establishment on arable land: assessment of an agri-environment scheme in England, UK. Biol Conserv 119: 429–442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2004.01.004 doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2004.01.004
|
| [21] | Sotherton NW (1991) Conservation headlands: A practical combination of intensive cereal farming and conservation. In: Firbank LG, Carter N, Darbyshire JF, et al. (Eds.), The Ecology of Temperate Cereal Fields, Blackwell, London, 373–397. |
| [22] |
Yvoz S, Petit S, Cadet E, et al. (2021b) Taxonomic and functional characteristics of field edge weed communities along a gradient of crop management intensity. Basic Appl Ecol 57: 14–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2021.10.001 doi: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.10.001
|
| [23] |
Firbank LG, Smart SM, Crabb J, et al. (2003) Agronomic and ecological costs and benefits of set-aside in England, Agric, Ecosyst Environ 95: 73–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(02)00169-X doi: 10.1016/S0167-8809(02)00169-X
|
| [24] |
Kleijn D, Joenje W, Le Coeur D, et al. (1998) Similarities in vegetation development of newly established herbaceous strips along contrasting European field boundaries. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 68: 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(97)00098-4 doi: 10.1016/S0167-8809(97)00098-4
|
| [25] |
Critchley CNR, Fowbert JA (2000) Development of vegetation on set-aside land for up to nine years from a national perspective. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 79: 159–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(99)00155-3 doi: 10.1016/S0167-8809(99)00155-3
|
| [26] |
Ryspekov T, Jandák J, Balkozha M, et al. (2021) Vegetation of abandoned fields on soil types of kastanozems in Northern Kazakhstan (Kostanay Region). J Ecol Eng. 22: 176–184. https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/142188 doi: 10.12911/22998993/142188
|
| [27] | Weibull AC, Ostman O, Granqvist A (2003) Richness in agroecosystems: The effect of landscape, habitat and farm management. Biodivers Conserv 12: 1335–1355. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3838497 |
| [28] |
Burel F, Butet A, Delettre YR, et al. (2004) Differential response of selected taxa to landscape context and agricultural intensification. Landscape Urban Plann 67: 195–204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(03)00039-2 doi: 10.1016/S0169-2046(03)00039-2
|
| [29] |
Bianchi FJJA, Booijand CJH, Tscharntke T (2006) Sustainable pest regulation in agricultural landscapes: a review on landscape composition, biodiversity and natural pest control. Proc R Soc B 273: 1715–1727. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3530 doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3530
|
| [30] |
Geiger F, Waeckers FL, Bianchi FJJA (2009) Hibernation of predatory arthropods in semi-natural habitats. Biocontrol 54: 529–535. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-008-9206-5 doi: 10.1007/s10526-008-9206-5
|
| [31] |
Rusch A, Valantin-Morison M, Sarthou JP, et al. (2010) Biological control of insect pests in agroecosystems: Effects of crop management, farming systems, and semi-natural habitats at the landscape scale: A review. Adv Agric 109: 19–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385040-9.00006-2 doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-385040-9.00006-2
|
| [32] |
Storkey J (2006) Afunctional groupapproachto themanagement of UK arable weeds to support biological diversity. Weed Res 46: 513–522. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.2006.00528.x doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3180.2006.00528.x
|
| [33] |
Bastiaans L, Kropff MJ, Goudriaan J, et al. (2000) Design of weed management systems with a reduced reliance on herbicides poses new challenges and prerequisites for modeling crop—weed interactions. Field Crops Res 67: 161–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4290(00)00091-5 doi: 10.1016/S0378-4290(00)00091-5
|
| [34] |
Marshall EJP, Brown VK, Boatman ND, et al. (2003) The role of weeds in supporting biological diversity within crop fields. Weed Res 43: 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3180.2003.00326.x doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3180.2003.00326.x
|
| [35] |
Petit S, Boursault A, Le Guilloux M, et al. (2011) Weeds in agricultural landscapes: A review. Agron Sustain Dev 31: 309–317. https://doi.org/10.1051/agro/2010020 doi: 10.1051/agro/2010020
|
| [36] |
Gaba S, Fried G, Kazakou E, et al. (2014) Agroecological weed control using a functional approach: A review of cropping systems diversity. Agron Sustainable Dev 34: 103–119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0166-5 doi: 10.1007/s13593-013-0166-5
|
| [37] |
Schumacher M, Dieterich M, Gerhards R (2020) Effects of weed biodiversity on the ecosystem service of weed seed predation along a farming intensity gradient. Global Ecol Conserv 24: e01316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01316 doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01316
|
| [38] |
Dieleman JA, Mortensen DA (1999) Characterizing the spatial pattern of Abutilon theophrasti seedling patches. Weed Res 39: 455–467. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3180.1999.00160.x doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3180.1999.00160.x
|
| [39] |
Marshall EJP (1988) Field-scale estimates of grass weed populations in arable land. Weed Res 28: 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.1988.tb01606.x doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3180.1988.tb01606.x
|
| [40] |
Rew LJ, Cussans GW, Mugglestone MA, et al. (1996) A technique for mapping the spatial distribution of Elymus repens, with estimates of the potential reduction in herbicide usage from patch spraying. Weed Res 36: 283–292. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.1996.tb01658.x doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3180.1996.tb01658.x
|
| [41] |
Winkler J, Lukas V, Smutný V (2015) Analysis of the heterogeneity of weed infestation in cereal stands. Acta Univ Agric Silvic Mendelianae Brun 63: 153–161. http://dx.doi.org/10.11118/actaun201563010153 doi: 10.11118/actaun201563010153
|
| [42] |
Bourgeois B, Gaba S, Plumejeaud C, et al. (2020) Weed diversity is driven by complex interplay between multi-scale dispersal and local filtering. Proc R Soc B 287: 20201118. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1118 doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1118
|
| [43] |
Hussain RI, Brandl M, Maas B, et al. (2021) Re-established grasslands on farmland promote pollinators more than predators. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 319: 107543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107543 doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2021.107543
|
| [44] | Šálek M, Zámečník V (2020) Historic overview and conservation perspectives of the Czech grey partridge (Perdix perdix) population. In: The Changing Status of Arable Habitats in Europe, Springer, Cham, 227–243. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59875-4_15 |
| [45] |
Hejcmanová-Nežerková P, Hejcman M (2006) A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of the vegetation–environment relationships in Sudanese savannah, Senegal. S Afr J Bot 72: 256–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2005.09.002 doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2005.09.002
|
| [46] | Ter Braak CJF, Šmilauer P (2012) Canoco reference manual and user's guide: Software for ordination (version 5.0). Ithaca: Microcomputer Power, 2012. |
| [47] |
Chytrý M, Danihelka J, Kaplan Z, et al. (2021) Pladias database of the Czech flora and vegetation. Preslia 93: 1–87. https://doi.org/10.23855/preslia.2021.001 doi: 10.23855/preslia.2021.001
|
| [48] | Durka W (2002) Blüten- und Reproduktionsbiologie. In: Klotz S, Kühn I, Durka W (Eds), BIOLFLOR—Eine Datenbank mit biologisch-ökologischen Merkmalen zur Flora von Deutschland, Schriftenreihe für Vegetationskunde, 38: 133–175. |
| [49] |
Sádlo J, Chytrý M, Pergl J, et al. (2018) Plant dispersal strategies: A new classification based on themultiple dispersal modes of individual species. Preslia 90: 1–22. https://doi.org/10.23855/preslia.2018.001 doi: 10.23855/preslia.2018.001
|
| [50] |
Šálek M, Hula V, Kipson M, et al. (2018) Bringing diversity back to agriculture: Smaller fields and non-crop elements enhance biodiversity in intensively managed arable farmlands. Ecol Indic 90: 65–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.03.001 doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.03.001
|
| [51] |
Otieno NE, Jacobs SM, Pryke JS (2022) Small-scale traditional maize farming fosters greater arthropod diversity value than conventional maize farming. J Insect Conserv 26: 477–489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-021-00330-x doi: 10.1007/s10841-021-00330-x
|
| [52] |
Tarjuelo R, Benítez-López A, Casas F, et al. (2020) Living in seasonally dynamic farmland: The role of natural and semi-natural habitats in the movements and habitat selection of a declining bird. Biol Conserv 251: 108794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108794 doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108794
|
| [53] |
Jachuła J, Denisow B, Wrzesień M, et al. (2022) The need for weeds: Man-made, non-cropped habitats complement crops and natural habitats in providing honey bees and bumble bees with pollen resources. Sci Total Environ 2022: 156551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156551 doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156551
|
| [54] |
Ekwealor KU, Echereme CB, Ofobeze TN, et al. (2019) Economic importance of weeds: A review. Asian J Plant Sci 3: 1–11. https://doi.org/10.9734/aprj/2019/v3i230063 doi: 10.9734/aprj/2019/v3i230063
|
| [55] |
Tissier ML, Marchandeau S, Habold C, et al. (2019) Weeds as a predominant food source: A review of the diet of common hamsters Cricetus cricetus in farmlands and urban habitats. Mamm Rev 49: 152–170. https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12149 doi: 10.1111/mam.12149
|
| [56] |
Ouvrard P, Jacquemart AL (2018) Agri‐environment schemes targeting farmland bird populations also provide food for pollinating insects. Agric For Entomol 20: 558–574. https://doi.org/10.1111/afe.12289 doi: 10.1111/afe.12289
|
| [57] |
Crochard L, Julliard R, Gaba S, et al. (2022) Weeds from non-flowering crops as potential contributors to oilseed rape pollination. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 336: 108026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.108026 doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2022.108026
|
| [58] |
Bretagnolle V, Gaba S (2015) Weeds for bees? A review. Agron Sustainable Dev 35: 891–909. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-015-0302-5 doi: 10.1007/s13593-015-0302-5
|
| [59] |
Gaba S, Cheviron N, Perrot T, et al. (2020) Weeds enhance multifunctionality in arable lands in south-west of France. Front Sustainable Food Syst 4: 71. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.0007 doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.0007
|
| [60] | Kleiman B, Koptur S, Jayachandran K (2021) Beneficial interactions of weeds and pollinators to improve crop production. J Res Weed Sci 4: 151–164. |
| [61] |
Marshall EJP (1989) Distribution patterns of plants associated with arable field edges. J Appl Ecol 26: 247–257. https://doi.org/10.2307/2403665 doi: 10.2307/2403665
|
| [62] | Alignier A, Uroy L, Aviron S (2020) The role of hedgerows in supporting biodiversity and other ecosystem services in intensively managed agricultural landscapes. In Reconciling agricultural production with biodiversity conservation, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, 177–204. |
| [63] |
Martín‐Vélez V, van Leeuwen CHM, Sánchez I, et al. (2021) Spatial patterns of weed dispersal by wintering gulls within and beyond an agricultural landscape. J Ecol 109: 1947–1958. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13619 doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.13619
|
| [64] | Marshall EJP, Smith BD (1987) Field margin flora and fauna: Interaction with agriculture. In: Way JM, Greig-Smith PW (Eds.), Field Margins, British Crop Protection Council, UK, 23–33. |
| [65] |
Mante J, Gerowitt B (2009) Learning from farmers' needs: Identifying obstacles to the successful implementation of field margin measures in intensive arable regions. Landscape Urban Plann 93: 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2009.07.010 doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2009.07.010
|
| [66] |
Cordeau S, Reboud X, Chauvel B (2011) Farmers' fears and agro-economic evaluation of sown grass strips in France. Agron Sustain Dev 31: 463–473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-011-0004-6 doi: 10.1007/s13593-011-0004-6
|
| [67] |
Pellegrini E, Buccheri M, Martini F, et al. (2021) Agricultural land use curbs exotic invasion but sustains native plant diversity at intermediate levels. Sci Rep 11: 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87806-7 doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-87806-7
|
Figures(5) / Tables(3)
Helena Hanusová, Karolína Juřenová, Erika Hurajová, Magdalena Daria Vaverková, Jan Winkler. Vegetation structure of bio-belts as agro-environmentally-climatic measures to support biodiversity on arable land: A case study[J]. AIMS Agriculture and Food, 2022, 7(4): 883-896. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2022054
DownLoad: