Changes in the dispersion of epigeic groups of animals in different types of agricultural crops

Abstract

In the country, agricultural land is an irreplaceable resource for the production of food and raw materials. Changes in the structure of epigeic groups reflect changes in the ecological status of habitats and response to the environmental pressure that affects them (e.g., intensification of cultivation, impact of herbicides and pesticides, agrotechnics, large-scale and monoculture areas). The aim of this research is to assess the influence of seven different agricultural crops (Pisum sativum, Triticum aestivum, T. spelta, Hordeum vulgare, Zea mays, Brassica napus, grass mixture) and environmental variables (pH soil, soil moisture, light conditions, soil fertility) on the dispersion of epigeic groups. Between 2018 and 2020, 40,194 individuals belonging to 22 taxonomic groups collected by pitfall traps were recorded in the observed crops. Our results provide new information on the preference of epigeic groups for some agricultural crops such as the grass mixture (P=0.0096), Hordeum vulgare (P=0.0166), Zea mays (P=0.025), and Pisum sativum (P=0.045). The dispersion was also affected by soil fertility (P=0.032), soil humidity (P=0.012), light (P=0.042) and pH soil (P=0.046). In the beetles model group with the highest number of individuals, the trend of increasing number of individuals with increasing values of potassium (r = 0.631), phosphorus (r = 0.566), nitrogen (r = 0.641), soil moisture (r = 0.572), and light (r = 0.9962) using a regression model was recorded. The neutral pH of the soil (r = 0.6212) was optimal for beetle coenoses.

Keywords

• epigeic groups
• agriculture
• crops
• spatial modelling
• slovak republic