Perennial alternative crops for biogas production increase arthropod abundance and diversity after harvest - results of suction sampling and metabarcoding

Abstract

http://www.eje.cz or restores biodiversity and maximize ecosystem services should be implemented.In addition to the challenge to conserve biodiversity and produce food, farmland is increasingly needed to produce renewable energy. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) fostered bioenergy production. Consequently, the number of biogas plants in Germany increased from about 850 in 2000 to 9,311 in 2017 (Yang et al., 2021). The associated, increase in cultivation of maize (Zea mais L., Poaceae) for the biogas plants and resultant loss of set aside land and fi eld borders due to increasing land costs and management intensity lead to a controversy over the environmental and socio-economic effects of this policy (Dauber et al., 2010;Gevers et al., 2011;Robertson et al., 2012).When compared to oilseed rape, potatoes, or even cereals, maize requires fewer pesticide treatments per year (Roßberg, 2016), because yields are less dependent on fungal diseases and insect pests. Yet, insect diversity in maize