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  5. Different bioindicators measured at different spatial scales vary in their response to agricultural intensity
 
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Different bioindicators measured at different spatial scales vary in their response to agricultural intensity

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Author(s)
McMahon, Barry J. 
Anderson, Annette 
Carnus, Tim 
Helden, Alvin 
Kelly-Quinn, Mary 
Maki, Amel 
Sheridan, Helen 
Purvis, Gordon 
Uri
http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4027
Date Issued
July 2012
Date Available
14T16:12:30Z January 2013
Abstract
Ecologically, potential bioindicator taxa operate at different scales within agricultural ecosystems, and thereby provide a means to investigate the influence of changing management practice on biological diversity at different scales within the agro-ecosystem. Surveys of grassland plant species at field level, parasitoid Hymenoptera at the field and farm scale, and bird populations and habitats at farm scale were carried out on 119 grass-based farms across three regions in the Republic of Ireland. In addition, habitat richness and aquatic macroinvertebrates were quantified at landscape scale. Agricultural intensity on the surveyed farms was quantified by mean farm stocking rate, calculated as livestock units per ha (LU/ha), and generalised linear mixed models used to evaluate relationships between stocking rate and the incidence of chosen bioindicator groups. Field scale bioindicators (plant species richness and parasitoid taxon richness and abundance) were negatively associated with mean farm stocking rate. Over much of its observed range, mean farm stocking rate was positively associated with total bird species richness and abundance, and the species richness and abundance of farmland bird indicator species recorded in the winter season. However, these relationships were quadratic, and above a relatively high upper limit of 2.5–3.5 LU/ha, further increase in farm stocking rate had a negative influence. Results demonstrate that different bioindicators measured at different spatial scales vary in their response to agricultural intensity. The lack of a consistent bioindicator response to farm stocking rate suggests that within predominantly farmed regions, maximising biodiversity requires a careful targeting and monitoring with bioindicator taxa that are informative of influences at relevant operational scales. The insights provided may then be much more informative for the design and implementation of agri-environment measures that maximise biodiversity within farmed landscapes.
Type of Material
Journal Article
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal
Ecological Indicators
Volume
18
Issue
July 2012
Start Page
676
End Page
683
Copyright (Published Version)
2012 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords
  • Agro-ecology

  • Indicator

  • Biodiversity

  • Livestock farming

  • Habitat heterogeneity...

  • Agri-environment poli...

DOI
10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.01.013
Language
English
Status of Item
Peer reviewed
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ie/
Owning collection
Agriculture and Food Science Research Collection
Scopus© citations
22
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Mar 23, 2023
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