A team of researchers including Katja Schiffers from HortiBonn and scientists from the ‘Agroecology and Organic Farming’group from Bonn University have now performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of soil tillage on ground beetle abundance and diversity.
In our review-study we show that the effects of intensive tillage on ground beetles - especially the use of mouldboard ploughing - are extremely variable. Nonetheless, on balance across multiple studies, greater tillage intensity tends to have a negative effect on abundance, species richness, and diversity. The observed variability may partly be attributed to a change in species-specific food availability or habitat conditions, induced by tillage. Tillage effects on dominant species tend to have a strong impact on total carabid abundance. The high variability of carabid responses to tillage is also a consequence of various modifying factors such as cover cropping, rotations, and variations in weed control associated with tillage. Because different modes of tillage tend to affect different carabid species, the diversification of tillage operations within a farm or region may contribute to the overall diversity of carabid communities.
The full article can be accessed here.
Reference: Müller P, Neuhoff D, Nabel M, Schiffers K, Döring TF, 2022. Tillage effects on ground beetles in temperate climates: a review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development. doi: 10.1007/s13593-022-00803-6
