Contrasting Effects of Tillage and Landscape Structure on Spiders and Springtails in Vineyards

Abstract

Interactions between predatory species and their potential prey are little studied in vineyards, especially considering the surrounding landscape structure. We examined the effects of soil tillage intensities in vineyard inter-rows on the activity density and diversity of spiders (Araneae) and springtails (Collembola), their potential preys, and assessed whether these effects are altered by non-crop elements in the surrounding landscape. We collected data in 16 vineyards in Austria; eight were periodically mechanically disturbed (PMD), eight had permanent green cover (PGC). The study vineyards were embedded in landscapes ranging from structurally simple to complex. Both, spiders and springtails were collected with pitfall traps. Data analyses using generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) showed different effects of soil tillage intensities on spiders and springtails and an interaction with semi-natural elements (SNEs) in the surrounding landscape. Activities of springtails were higher under PMD than under PGC while spider activity density remained unaffected. Spider family Shannon diversity was lower under PMD than under PGC, while springtail species Shannon diversity was unaffected by tillage. Under PMD, spider activity and family diversity decreased with increasing SNEs in the surroundings indicating spider emigration away from vineyards. Under PGC, spider activity density increased with increasing SNE proportions in the surroundings when springtail activity density was high. Our findings suggest that recommendations on sustainable vineyard management should include both site and landscape factors.

Commercial glyphosate-based herbicides effects on springtails (Collembola) differ from those of their respective active ingredients and vary with soil organic matter content

“…To what extent an increased or decreased surface activity of Collembola is affecting their population development remains to be investigated. In any case, more surface active Collembolans are more prone to predators such as spiders (Pfingstmann et al 2019). Our results also suggest that other Collembola species than the commonly used F. candida might be suitable surrogate species for ERAs.…”

“…The traps were installed 40 days after seeding in a consistent pattern with about 10-cm distances to each other. This sampling method has been successfully applied in other experiments (Pfingstmann et al 2019;Zaller et al 2016). Pitfall traps were exposed for the first sampling period for 5 days and exposed for 2-3 days for the following seven sampling periods.…”

“…In soils, most Collembola feed on fungi or decaying plant material and can influence the growth of mycorrhizae and the development of fungal diseases (Filser et al 2002;Hopkin 1997;Klironomos et al 1992;Lartey et al 1994). Further they act as prey for many arthropods such as spiders, mites and beetles (Frampton and van den Brink 2007;Pfingstmann et al 2019). Collembola are also frequently used as test species in ERAs of pesticides (Bandow et al 2014;Ockleford et al 2017).…”

Diverging Effects of Landscape Factors and Inter-Row Management on the Abundance of Beneficial and Herbivorous Arthropods in Andalusian Vineyards (Spain)

“…This contrasts with some previous studies [28,44,69,70,71]. However, most previous studies examined annual arable crops, which differ from perennial crops such as grapevines in terms of frequencies of disturbance for sowing, soil cultivation and harvesting, the use of agrochemicals and resource availability over time [72,73,74,75]. It could also be that in our study the conditions in some elements of our SNE group (e.g., tree rows, grass strips) were still more hospitable to the arthropods than the vineyards, so they did not migrate into vineyards [76,77].…”

Effects of vineyard inter-row management on the diversity and abundance of plants and surface-dwelling invertebrates in Central Romania

“…Management of vineyards may affect local biodiversity of plants and invertebrates (Balog and Markó 2007;Caprio et al 2015;Hadjicharalampous et al 2002;Simoni and Castagnoli 2007). Vineyard inter-row management has been shown to affect the number and activity of spiders and ground beetles (Norris and Kogan 2000) and alter interactions between collembolans and spiders (Pfingstmann et al 2019).…”