Twenty-four articles by biologists, ecologists, and other scientists represent a year's progress in the field. Among the topics addressed: the effects of introduced species, paleobiogeography, genetics and geographic structure, marine fisheries management, time as an ecological resource, genetic var

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics

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Conservation agriculture and ecosystem services: An overview

Conservation agriculture has been proposed as a widely adapted set of management principles that can assure more sustainable agricultural production. Conservation agriculture removes the emphasis from the tillage component alone and addresses a more enhanced concept of the complete agricultural system. Applying conservation agriculture essentially means altering literally generations of traditional farming practices and implement use. Within the framework of agricultural production, high soil quality equates to the ability of the soil to maintain a high productivity without significant soil or environmental degradation. A comparative soil quality evaluation is one in which the performance of the system is determined in relation to alternatives. Inconsistent effects of a reduction in tillage on the variation in total porosity with depth may be related to differences in traffic on different sites, or on soil quality at the time tillage was reduced or stopped.

Conservation agriculture, improving soil quality for sustainable production systems?

Conventional agriculture strongly alters soil quality due to industrial practices that often have negative effects on soil life. Alternative systems such as conservation agriculture and organic farming could restore better conditions for soil organisms. Improving soil life should in turn improve soil quality and farming sustainability. Here, we have compared for the first time the long-term effects of conservation agriculture, organic farming, and conventional agriculture on major soil organisms such as microbes, nematofauna, and macrofauna. We have also analyzed functional groups. Soils were sampled at the 14-year-old experimental site of La Cage, near Versailles, France. The microbial community was analyzed using molecular biology techniques. Nematofauna and macrofauna were analyzed and classified into functional groups. Our results show that both conservation and organic systems increased the abundance and biomass of all soil organisms, except predaceous nematodes. For example, macrofauna increased from 100 to 2,500 %, nematodes from 100 to 700 %, and microorganisms from 30 to 70 %. Conservation agriculture showed a higher overall improvement than organic farming. Conservation agriculture increased the number of many organisms such as bacteria, fungi, anecic earthworms, and phytophagous and rhizophagous arthropods. Organic farming improved mainly the bacterial pathway of the soil food web and endogeic and anecic earthworms. Overall, our study shows that long-term, no-tillage, and cover crops are better for soil biota than periodic legume green manures, pesticides, and mineral fertilizers.

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Fourteen years of evidence for positive effects of conservation agriculture and organic farming on soil life

Systematic exportation, burning of crop residues and decreases in fallow periods have led to a large-scale depletion of soil organic matter and degradation of soil fertility in the cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cropping systems of Cameroon. The present study tested whether soil management systems based on a no-till with mulch approach intercropped with cereals, which has been shown to restore cotton production, could boost the biological activity of soil macrofauna. The impacts of no tillage with grass mulch (Brachiaria ruziziensis Germain and Eward) (NTG) and no tillage with legume mulch (Crotalaria retusa L. or Mucuna pruriens Bak.) (NTL) on the abundance, diversity and functional role of soil invertebrates were evaluated during the third year of implementation in northern Cameroon (Winde and Zouana), compared to conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) without mulch. Macrofauna were sampled from two 30 cm x 30 cm soil cubes (including litter) at the seeding stage of cotton, and 30 days later. The collected organisms were grouped into detritivores, herbivores and predators. Examination of the soil macrofauna patterns revealed that the abundance and diversity of soil arthropods were significantly higher in NTG and NTL than in CT plots (+103 and +79%, respectively), while that of NT plots was in-between the no tillage groups and CT (+37%). Regarding major ecological functions, herbivores and predators were significantly more abundant in NTG and NTL plots than in CT plots at Winde (+168 and +180%, respectively), while detritivores, predators and herbivores were significantly more abundant in the NTG plots than in CT plots at Zouana (+92, +517 and +116%, respectively). Formicidae (53.6%), Termitidae (24.7%) and Lumbricidae (9.4%) were the most abundant detritivores while Julidae (46.1%), Coleoptera larvae (22.1%) and Pyrrhocoridae or Reduviidae (11.8%) were the dominant herbivores. The major constituents of the predatory group were Araneae (33.8%), Carabidae (24.6%), Staphylinidae (15.7%) and Scolopendridae (10.3%). Direct seeding mulch-based systems, NTG and NTL, favoured the establishment of diverse macrofaunal communities in the studied cotton cropping system. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of a no-till with mulch soil management strategy on soil macrofauna communities in a cotton cropping system

Changes in soil arthropod functional group in a wheat crop under conventional and no tillage systems in Argentina

We described ectoparasitic species such as chewing lice, mites, and louse flies in free-ranging American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) in the semiarid forest of Argentina. From twenty-two adults and one juvenile American Kestrel captured (fourteen females and nine males) during four breeding seasons between 2005 and 2008, we found in seven birds (six females and one male) two louse species (Laemobothrion tinnunculi and Degeeriella carruthi), one mite species (Ornithonyssus bursa) and one louse fly (Icosta americana). Although the two louse species have been previously reported as parasites of American Kestrels, this is the first record for O. bursa in American Kestrels and the first for I. americana in Argentina. This finding is of particular interest because West Nile Virus (WNV) has been detected in I. americana, which suggests a potential role of this louse fly in the transmission of WNV in raptors in North America. Our results highlight the need for further studies on American Kestrel ectoparas...

https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-raptor-research/volume-45/issue-4/JRR-11-26.1/Ectoparasites-In-Free-Ranging-American-Kestrels-In-Argentina--Implications/10.3356/JRR-11-26.1.pdf

Ectoparasites In Free-Ranging American Kestrels In Argentina: Implications for the Transmission of Viral Diseases

Fil: Nanni, Analia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto de Investigacion e Ingenieria Ambiental; Argentina

Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) inhabiting anthropogenic habitats in the lower delta of the Paraná river, Argentina: geographic distribution and ecological characteristics

The coleopteran of the family Carabidae conform a large part of the soil biodiversity from agroecosystems, hence they are good model organism to study the composition and structure of communities. The aims of this contribution were to: a) analyze the diversity of Carabidae (species richness, activity, composition and structure of assemblages) in environments with different anthropic use; b) know the association of Carabidae species with herbaceous vegetation; c) analyze the proportion of species according to their specialisation to habitat requirements, capacity of dispersion in relation to wing dimorphism and sinanthropism, and d) identify typical species of different environments and e) record the presence of larvae. The study was conducted in an agroecosystem from Laguna Nahuel Ruca (37°37’04’’ S - 57°25’16’’ W). We selected different sampling environments: three forest environments, three open environments and a mixed environment; all of them were sampled monthly with "pitfall" traps during one year. We made a ranking to measure the degree of human modification of each environment. Higher values of species richness were recorded in forest environments. Carabidae assemblages differed according to habitat structure. We identify typical species of open environments as well as forest environments. The proportion of macropterous and synanthropic species tended to be higher in open environments, while there was no difference in the proportion of eurytopic species. Ten species of Carabidae were associated with families Convolvulaceae, Apiaceae and Fabaceae in spring. Seven species of larvae were recorded mainly in forest environments during summer. We concluded that land use and the structure of environment influence the local biodiversity of Carabidae. https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.17.27.2.0.232

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Armando Conrado Cicchino

Papers

Changes in soil arthropod functional group in a wheat crop under conventional and no tillage systems in Argentina

Ectoparasites In Free-Ranging American Kestrels In Argentina: Implications for the Transmission of Viral Diseases

Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) inhabiting anthropogenic habitats in the lower delta of the Paraná river, Argentina: geographic distribution and ecological characteristics

Diversidad de Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) en distintos ambientes de un agroecosistema del sudeste bonaerense, Argentina