Physico-chemical indicators and microarthropod communities as influenced by no-till, conventional tillage and nitrogen fertilisation after four years of continuous maize

A multidisciplinary study was carried out over four years in Northern Italy on a silt loam under continuous maize. The experimental design was a split-plot with four replicates; the main factor was the soil management system, conventional tillage (CT) or no-tillage (NT), while the secondary factor was N fertilisation. At the end of the trial, soil samples were taken from all plots at four depths (from 0 to 20 cm). In these samples the following were determined: pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), total N, available P, exchangeable K, cation exchange capacity (CEC), electrical conductivity (EC) and water aggregate stability (WAS). Soil compaction was measured during the last three years, after maize harvesting. To study the microarthropod community, soil samples (0–10 cm depth) were taken six times over the four years. Our results show that NT significantly increased SOC (+15.8%), total N (+9.6%), C/N (+5.3%), exchangeable K (+37.1%) and WAS (+64.8%). The stratification ratio for exchangeable K reached 2.15 for NT plots. N fertilisation, on the other hand, had no significant effect on most of the physico-chemical indicators, except for pH, CEC and EC. Soil compaction was significantly higher for NT compared with CT up to a depth of 25–30 cm. During the last year, interesting reductions in soil penetration resistance for NT were measured, up to 300–430 kPa in the 2.5–12.5 cm layer. As for the microarthropods, Acari were more sensitive to tillage compared with Collembola, and the Wardle V index proved to be a good indicator of the response to tillage. N fertilisation with 300 kg N ha⁻¹ had a negative effect on the total microarthropod abundance. The Shannon diversity index gave fluctuating and significantly different results: over the years results were split alternately between the two tillage systems. The QBS-ar index, calculated for all the four years of the study, ranged between 48 and 72, values typical of intensively cultivated soils. The results obtained suggested that it was not influenced by the tillage system. Therefore, this index seems to be unsuitable for detecting the influence of tillage management and N fertilisation on the microarthropod community.     

Collembola abundances and assemblage structures in conventionally tilled and conservation tillage arable systems

Reduced biodiversity is associated with increased management intensity and reduced environmental heterogeneity but reduced tillage has been shown to lessen the severity of the effects. In this study we compare the effects, on the abundance and assemblage structure of Collembola, of conventional tillage with a form of reduced tillage management called ECOtillage and we examine the responses of the Collembola to straw incorporation into the soil. Conservation tillage (ECOtillage) resulted in elevated abundances of most collembolan species compared with conventional tillage practices but has little effect on species richness. The addition of straw residue did not enhance the diversity of Collembola and reduced overall abundances.     

Soil microarthropod community testing: A new approach to increase the ecological relevance of effect data for pesticide risk assessment

In the present study, a new complementary approach combining the use of the natural soil microarthropod community and conventional test methods was used. The effects of soil contamination with the insecticide carbofuran on two geographically distinct microarthropod communities (Mediterranean and Tropical) were evaluated in their soils of origin under controlled laboratory conditions.After contamination of two agricultural soils from Portugal and Brazil, a gradient of concentrations was prepared. Soil cores were taken from the respective uncontaminated surrounding areas and the mesofauna of three cores was extracted directly to the test soil. After extracting the microarthropod communities to the test soil, these were incubated under laboratory conditions for 4 weeks, after which the mesofauna was extracted again. The organisms were assorted into higher taxonomic groups and Acari and Collembola were respectively assorted into order/sub-order/cohort and family. Collembolans were still classified according to morphological traits and used as a case-study of trait based risk assessment (TERA; Baird et al., 2008) of pesticides.The exposure to insecticide contamination caused the impoverishment of the taxonomic diversity in both communities. Significant shifts in the microarthropod community structure in the different carbofuran treatments were found for both soils, although effects were more pronounced in the assay performed with the soil from Brazil. Collembolans were the most affected group with a strong decline in their abundance. A dose–response relationship was observed, showing a consistent decline on the relative abundance of Isotomidae, closely followed by an increase of Entomobryidae. Contrastingly, Acari (especially Oribatida) tended to increase their numbers with higher concentrations.Trait based analysis of Collembola data suggested that a shift in the functional composition of the communities occurred due to carbofuran soil contamination and that species adapted to deeper soil layers were more vulnerable to insecticide toxicity.     

Comparing taxonomic levels of epigeal insects under different farming systems in Andalusian olive agroecosystems

The intensification of olive production methods in southern Spain, has involved a widespread use of chemicals and the progressive loss of many Mediterranean forest patches, natural landscapes and semi-natural vegetation. Species level inventories require an enormous amount of time and financial resources, mainly due to the necessity of employing taxonomists in the early stages of a study. The use of a higher taxonomic level is particularly useful when rapid biodiversity surveys are required. This survey investigates the reliability of a rapid method to detect which high taxonomic level of epigeal insects could best distinguish different farming systems in olive agroecosystems, taking into account three higher taxonomic categories as surrogate measures of insect diversity: orders for all the insects, families of Coleoptera and carabid morphospecies. Insects were collected in pitfall traps in olive orchards under organic, integrated and conventional farming systems in two provinces in Andalusia (Córdoba and Granada) with different surrounding landscapes over three different years. In 1999 and 2000 a study of trends over time was undertaken between March and October of both years in Granada, and in 2003 a geographically extended study was conducted in 18 different orchards during pre-blooming and post-blooming periods in Granada and Córdoba. To rapidly assess biodiversity in olive agroecosystems by examining soil communities, in order to classify farming systems on a regional scale, the taxonomic level of order seems to be a more reliable approach than a lower taxonomic level in insects. This methodology could be used as a possible useful short-cut to assess biodiversity in olive orchards at a local scale, the order surrogacy being useful when results are required rapidly and in a context of limited financial resources.     

A comparison of microarthropod assemblages with emphasis on oribatid mites in canopy suspended soils and forest floors associated with ancient western redcedar trees

Microarthropod abundance, oribatid mite species richness and community composition were assessed in the high canopy (ca. 35 m) of an ancient temperate rainforest and compared with microarthropod communities of the forest floor. Microarthropods were extracted from 72 core samples of suspended soils and 72 core samples from forest floors associated with six western redcedar trees in the Walbran Valley on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. Total microarthropod abundances, mesostigmatid and astigmatid mites, Collembola and other microarthropod abundances were significantly greater in forest floors compared to canopy habitats. Oribatid and prostigmatid mite abundance were not significantly different between habitats. The relative abundances of all microarthropod groups considered in this study differed significantly between habitats. Eighty-eight species of oribatid mites were identified from the study area. Eighteen of the 53 species observed in suspended soils were unique to the canopy. Cluster analysis indicates that the arboreal oribatid mite community is distinct and not a taxonomic subset of the forest floor assemblage, however, canopy oribatid mite communities are more heterogeneous in species composition than in the forest floor.     

Comparison of soil arthropods and earthworms from conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems

Soil-arthropod and earthworm densities (number m⁻²) were higher (P < 0.05) under no-tillage than conventional tillage practices. Enchytraeid worms were higher in conventional tillage. Two predaceous groups, ground beetles (Carabidae: Coleoptera) and spiders (Araneae), comprised more than one-half of all soil macroarthropods collected. All major microarthropod suborders (Oribatids, Prostigmatids, Mesostigmatids, and the order Collembola) were higher (P < 0.01) under no-tillage than conventional tillage. High soil-arthropod and earthworm densities under no-tillage systems suggest an expanded and beneficial involvement for these soil fauna in crop-residue-decomposition processes.     

Responses of soil microarthropods to inorganic and organic fertilizers in a poplar plantation in a coastal area of eastern China

Soil microarthropod community is an essential functional unit of soil food webs. Fertilizers can induce an alteration of quantity and quality of food for soil fauna and trigger profound changes in soil faunal communities. We initiated this study to examine the influence of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil microarthropods in poplar plantations (Populus deltoides) in a coastal region of northern Jiangsu, eastern China. We established a control and four fertilizer application treatments: low and high levels of organic fertilizers, low and high levels of inorganic fertilizers. Organic fertilizer amendments increased both soil organic carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N), whereas inorganic fertilizer had a positive significant effect on soil total N. The application of both inorganic and organic fertilizers resulted in significantly reduced soil pH. We found that both inorganic and organic fertilizers increased the abundance of all soil microarthropods, bacterivorous Acari, and hemiedaphic and epedaphic Collembola, but had no influence on the total taxonomic richness, Shannon diversity index and DG diversity index of the microarthropod community. The abundance of soil microarthropods was positively correlated with soil C and N, and negatively with pH. Our results indicate that changes in the quality and quantity of soil organic matter and other immediate chemical properties after fertilizer application can increase the abundance of soil microarthropods, but have a limited influence on their diversity in the coastal alkaline soils of eastern China.     

Positive relationship between herbaceous layer diversity and the performance of soil biota in a temperate forest

The current decline in biodiversity is particularly pronounced in the herbaceous layer of forest ecosystems. We explored the relationship between a naturally occurring plant diversity gradient in the understory vegetation of a deciduous forest and several above-and belowground ecosystem processes. We show that particularly soil microbial parameters and microarthropod densities are positively correlated with plant species richness. These results confirm recent findings in grassland ecosystems and highlight the intimate interconnectance between the diversity and functioning of above-and belowground compartments. We conclude that irrespective of a potential causal relationship between plant species richness and belowground processes, it is essential to consider the performance of soil biota in order to understand the relationship between herbaceous layer composition and ecosystem function.     

Soil fertility and bacterial community composition in a semiarid Mediterranean agricultural soil under long-term tillage management

This research attempted to investigate a part of the United Nations sustainable development goal 15, dealing with preventing land degradation and halting the loss of microorganisms’ diversity. Since soil deterioration and biodiversity loss in the Mediterranean area are occurring because of intensive management, we evaluated some biochemical and microbiological parameters and bacterial biodiversity under long-term conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) practices, in Basilicata, a typical Region of Southern Italy, characterized by a semiarid ecosystem. The highest biological fertility index (BFI) (composed of soil organic matter, microbial biomass C, cumulative microbial respiration during 25 days of incubation, basal respiration, metabolic quotient and mineralization quotient) was determined for the 0–20 cm of NT soil (class V, high biological fertility level). The analysis of the taxonomic composition at the phylum level revealed the higher relative abundance of copiotrophic bacteria such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes in the NT soil samples as compared to the CT soil. These copiotrophic phyla, more important decomposers of soil organic matter (SOM) than oligotrophic phyla, are responsible of a higher microbial C use efficiency (CUE) in tilled soil, being microbial community composition, C substrates content and CUE closely linked. The higher Chao1 and Shannon indices, under the NT management, also supported the hypothesis that the bacterial diversity and richness increased in the no-till soils. In conclusion, we can assume that the long-term no-tillage can preserve an agricultural soil in a semiarid ecosystem, enhancing soil biological fertility level and bacterial diversity.     

Species diversity versus phylogenetic diversity: A practical study in the taxonomically difficult genus Dactylorhiza (Orchidaceae)

Setting conservation priorities in taxonomically complex groups such as the orchid genus Dactylorhiza is a difficult task. As an alternative to taxonomic diversity, we used here a molecular phylogenetic analysis and the results of a genetic investigation using plastid microsatellites with an extensive geographic sampling to assess in a more objective way the patterns of diversity within this genus. Although western Europe is thought to be the main diversity centre for the genus due to the large number of species found there, we found higher phylogenetic and genetic diversity as well as higher endemicity in the Caucasus and the Mediterranean Basin, two biodiversity hotspots. Species number seems to be correlated with taxonomic effort, tentatively estimated here by the number of herbaria, and is thus biased and not an appropriate measure of diversity. Our results show that phylogenetic analyses and genetic data obtained with molecular tools can offer an alternative measure of biodiversity that is not sensitive to taxonomic inflation. Conservation of allotetraploid taxa is also discussed, and it is recommended that sites in which polyploids are formed should be conserved rather than any specific allotetraploid taxon.     

黄淮海平原小麦保护性耕作对土壤动物总量和多样性的影响

强度的耕作管理使土壤生物多样性下降,也使农业可持续发展面临困难,而实行保护性耕作可以缓解这一问题。通过调查小麦季保护性耕作下土壤动物群落结构,分析了耕作方式和秸秆覆盖对土壤动物群落的影响,采用冗余分析（RDA）并设置协变量的方法对土壤动物数量变异进行了研究。结果表明,弹尾目和蜱螨目是土壤动物优势类群,两者数量之和占总数比例约为80％,土壤动物在表层（0～10cm）分布较大,约占总数的75％。土壤动物类群数免耕高于翻耕,覆盖量越大,个体数量越多。免耕在小麦拔节期有更高的多样性指数,但在成熟期土壤动物优势类群明显,多样性指数下降。相似性指数表现为土壤动物类群对环境具有选择性,翻耕和免耕之间类群差异较大。耕作方式、覆盖数量、土壤层次和时间共解释了土壤动物数量变异量的28．7％,其中时间占最大的变异量,为12．2％,其次是秸秆覆盖处理（8．7％）和土壤层次（6．4％）。耕作方式直接解释的变异量较小,但耕作方式显著影响了秸秆覆盖的作用形式,进一步影响了土壤动物的垂直分布状况。     

Comparison of organic and conventional stockless arable systems: A multidisciplinary approach to soil quality evaluation

Soil quality in Mediterranean conventional and organic stockless arable systems was assessed by a multidisciplinary approach. At the end of the first cycle of a 5-year crop rotation (2002–2006) in the Mediterranean Arable Systems Comparison Trial (MASCOT) long-term experiment, the effects of organic and conventional management systems were evaluated by using soil chemical, biochemical and biological parameters. Chemical and biochemical parameters linked to soil C cycle, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and microarthropod communities were analysed according to a comparative approach. Results suggested a higher soil carbon sequestration in the organic respect to the conventional system, as shown by the values of total organic C (9.5 and 7.8 g kg^?1, for organic and conventional system, respectively) and potentially mineralisable C (277 and 254 mg kg^?1, for organic and conventional system, respectively). AMF population, AMF root colonisation and diversity of microarthropod population were slightly influenced by management system. On the other hand, mites/collembolans ratio was higher in conventionally than in organically managed soil (2.67 and 1.30, respectively), indicating as organic managed soils were more disturbed than conventional ones, probably as the consequence of the more frequent soil tillage performed for mechanical weeds control.The overall results demonstrated that, even in the short-term, the implementation of organically managed stockless systems in Mediterranean areas determined significant changes of some attributes for soil quality evaluation.     

Starving the soil of plant inputs for 50 years reduces abundance but not diversity of soil bacterial communities

If soil communities rely on plant-derived carbon, is biodiversity lost when this primary source is removed? Soil microbial and mesofaunal communities at the Rothamsted Highfield site were compared under a mixed grass sward, arable rotation and a section maintained as a bare-fallow for the past 50 years by regular tillage. Organic matter reserves have been degraded and microbial and mesofaunal numbers and mite diversity have declined in this unique bare-fallow site, where fresh carbon inputs have been drastically reduced. However, it supports a species-rich metabolically active bacterial community of similar diversity to that in soil maintained as grass sward. Thus in contrast to soil mesofauna, bacterial diversity (but not abundance) is apparently independent of plant inputs.     

Influence of disturbance and nitrogen addition on plant and soil animal diversity in grassland

Two key determinants of biological diversity that have been examined in aboveground and aquatic systems are productivity, or resource supply, and physical disturbance. In this study, we examined how these factors interact under field conditions to determine belowground diversity using microarthropods (mites and Collembola) as our test community. To do this, we established a field manipulation experiment consisting of crossed, continuous gradients of nitrogenous (N) fertilizer addition (up to 240 kg N ha^?1) and disturbance (imitated trampling by cattle) to produce a gradient of soil nutrient availability and disturbance. Due to the relatively short-term nature of our study (i.e. 2 years), we only detected minimal changes in plant diversity due to the experimental manipulations; in the longer term we would expect to detect changes in plant diversity that could potentially impact on soil fauna. However, disturbance reduced, and additions of N increased, aboveground biomass, reflecting the potential effects of these manipulations on resource availability for soil fauna. We found that disturbance strongly reduced the abundance, diversity, and species richness of oribatid mites and Collembola, but had little effect on predatory mites (Mesostigmata). In contrast, N addition, and therefore resource availability, had little effect on microarthropod community structure, but did increase mesostigmatan mite richness and collembolan abundance at high levels of disturbance. Oribatid community structure was mostly influenced by disturbance, whereas collembolan and mesostigmatan diversity were responsive to N addition, suggesting bottom-up control. That maximal species richness of microarthropod groups overall occurred in undisturbed plots, suggests that the microarthropod community was negatively affected by disturbance. We found no change in microarthropod species richness with high N additions, where plant productivity was greatest, indicating that soil biotic communities are unlikely to be strongly regulated by competition. We conclude that the diversity of soil animals is best explained as a combination of their many varied life history tactics, phenology and the heterogeneity of soils that enable so many species to co-exist.     

Relating microarthropod community structure and diversity to soil fertility manipulations in temperate grassland

We aimed to identify patterns of diversity in a below-ground community of microarthropods (mites and Collembola) after 15 months of a nutrient (calcium and nitrogen) manipulation experiment, located at the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Soil Biodiversity Site in Scotland, UK. We found that microarthropod densities increased with elevated soil fertility, but we detected no concurrent change in the diversity of soil microarthropods (mites and Collembola combined). That microarthropod density increased concurrently with improvements in soil fertility and plant productivity suggests that soil microarthropod communities are predominately regulated by bottom-up forces, driven by increased energy transfer via plant inputs to soil, providing increased food resources for fauna. However, that we found no concurrent change in the diversity of soil microarthropods provides little support for the idea that the diversity of soil fauna is positively related to their population density, primary productivity or improvements in soil conditions resulting from nutrient manipulations. However, we did find that microarthropod communities of more fertile sites contained a greater proportion of predators suggesting that more energy was transferred to higher trophic levels under elevated soil fertility. Our findings suggest that unlike plant communities, soil faunal diversity may not be strongly regulated by competition in productive situations, since competitive exclusion might not occur due to increased predation. Whilst we conclude that soil microarthropod diversity at our study site has not been affected by the nutrient additions to date, in the longer term we predict that changes in community composition and diversity could arise, most likely through top-down regulation of the soil food web.     

耕作方式对土壤螨类群落结构的影响

土壤螨类是土壤生态系统中重要的指示生物之一。为探讨耕作方式对土壤螨类数量、类群数、群落结构以及垂直分布的影响, 试验选取位于东北黑土区中国科学院海伦农田生态系统国家野外科学观测研究站中5种耕作方式(免耕耕作、少耕耕作、平翻耕作、组合耕作和旋耕耕作)试验区内土壤螨类为研究对象, 采用改良干漏斗(Modified Tullgren)法, 于2009年5月、6月和7月3个时期分离0~15 cm土层中的土壤螨类。结果表明: 耕作方式对土壤螨类数量和类群数存在显著影响, 3个时期共捕获土壤螨类2 441只, 免耕耕作、少耕耕作、组合耕作、旋耕耕作和平翻耕作分别捕获土壤螨类366只、436只、553只、819只和267只, 分别隶属于13科、18科、13科、14科和11科。传统的旋耕耕作具有最高的土壤螨类个体数量, 而保护性耕作中的少耕耕作具有最高的土壤螨类类群数。不同时期耕作方式对土壤螨类垂直分布的影响不同, 5月除免耕耕作外其他4种耕作方式均较好地保持了土壤螨类垂直分布的表聚特征, 即0~5 cm土层中土壤螨类的数量显著(P<0.05)高于其他两层(5~10 cm, 10~15 cm), 其中组合耕作和少耕耕作在3个时期中均较好地保持了土壤螨类的表聚特征, 且少耕耕作较好地保持了土壤螨类的多样性。MGP分析结果表明: 土壤甲螨群落随季节的变化在组成上发生变化, 从最初的高等甲螨为优势类群转化为低等甲螨为优势类群, 免耕和少耕的这种趋势较其他耕作方式更为明显, 少耕耕作3个时期土壤甲螨的组成类型分别为P型、G型和O型, 而免耕耕作3个时期土壤甲螨的组成类型分别为P型、O型和G型。少耕和免耕两种保护耕作方式较其他耕作方式更有利于土壤螨类群落结构的稳定性及多样性的保持, 有利于农田土壤生态环境的保护。     

Long-term impact of no-till conservation agriculture on abundance and order diversity of soil macrofauna in continuous maize monocropping system

Unsuitable soil management in agriculture is known to results in the deterioration of soil health and the decline of biodiversity. The experiment tested whether no-tillage with mulch (NT), could boost biological activity of soil macrofauna population in continuous maize monocropping system compared with rotational tillage with mulch (RT) and conventional tillage (CT). Soil macrofauna was sampled at the end of the 2014/2015 growing season using 25?×?25?×?25?cm steel monoliths. The mean density of individual orders was higher (p?p?相似文献   

Long-term monitoring of microbial biomass, N mineralisation and enzyme activities of a Chernozem under different tillage management

 We investigated the influence of tillage (conventional, minimum and reduced) on selected soil microbial properties of a fine-sandy loamy Haplic Chernozem over a period of 8 years. The microbial biomass and soil microbial processes were affected mostly by type of tillage and to a lesser extent by the date of soil sampling. Whereas xylanase activity was significantly higher in the 0 to 10-cm soil layer of the reduced and minimum tillage systems within the first year of the experiment (protease and phosphatase activities were significantly higher in the second year), significant treatment effects on microbial biomass, N mineralisation and potential nitrification were observed after a 4-year period. The slow response of substrate-induced respiration to the change in type of tillage may have been due to the differences in the biomass C turnover rates. After a 4-year period, the stratification of the soil microbial biomass within the profile of reduced and minimum tillage systems was probably responsible for the more intensive soil microbial processes near the soil surface compared with conventional tillage. In the 20 to 30-cm layer, N mineralisation, potential nitrification and xylanase activity in the conventional treatment were significantly higher than in the minimum and reduced tillage plots due to buried organic materials. Discriminant analysis underlined the similarity of the enzyme activity patterns in the top layer of the reduced and minimum tillage treatments, and in both layers of the conventional tillage system. The trend towards a significant increase in functional diversity caused by reduced tillage became obvious within the first year of the experiment, and this effect was still manifest after 8 years. All relationships suggested that there were differences in available resources (e.g. organic matter) along the sequence of different tillage systems; this was reflected in part by enhanced enzymatic and microbial activities in the soil layers. In conclusion, this study showed that soils affected by tillage may be classified on the basis of their functional diversity. Therefore, the soil microbial properties chosen for microbiological soil monitoring (microbial biomass, N mineralisation and enzyme activities involved in C, N and P cycling) provide a reliable tool with which to estimate early changes in the dynamics and distribution of soil microbial processes within soil profiles. Received: 3 February 1998     

Reducing tillage in cultivated fields increases earthworm functional diversity

Alternative cropping systems such as conservation agriculture have been implemented to limit the harmful effects of intensive conventional cropping systems. Conservation agriculture is known to modify the structural diversity of earthworm communities, but no data have been reported so far on their functional diversity. Structural and functional indices of community were used to study the effects of different soil tillage intensity on earthworm diversity in arable soils.Field data were collected in four agricultural trials across France representing different soiland climatic conditions. Three types of soil tillage were assessed: plowing, superficial tillage and direct seeding. Earthworm abundance, species richness and ecomorphological group abundance were investigated. Seven functional traits, i.e. body length, body mass/length ratio, epithelium type, cocoon diameter, typhlosolis type, carbon preferences and vertical distribution, were selected according to their hypothesized link with mechanisms of tillage impact. Functional diversity indices were then computed. Soil tillage intensity decreased functional diversity and modified the functional trait profile within the earthworm community whereas neither structural diversity (species number) nor abundance changed with tillage intensity. Differences between plowing and direct seeding were significant in each trial, and superficial tillage often showed intermediate trait values. Regarding ecomorphological groups, anecic abundance was positively influenced by a decrease in soil tillage, contrary to epigeic and endogeic earthworms that showed no response. Tillage acts as an environmental filter, and decreasing its intensity caused a lesser convergence of traits and thus higher functional trait diversity. We demonstrated that a trait-based approach better permitted comparisons of community responses across sites than species number or abundance.     

Urban drainage systems: An undervalued habitat for aquatic macroinvertebrates

Knowledge about the ecology of urban water systems is very scarce. We assessed the conservation value of urban drainage systems in lowland areas and compared these with similar watercourses in rural areas. A total of 36 water bodies in urban areas were selected to investigate the macroinvertebrate biodiversity in relation to environmental variables. Multivariate analysis of aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages was used to distinguish urban water types and to link these types to key environmental variables. Several biodiversity indices for urban water systems were compared with those for other drainage systems in The Netherlands. Four types of macroinvertebrate assemblages were distinguished in the urban water systems, differing in environmental conditions and values of ecological indicators. The variation in macroinvertebrate assemblages was significantly explained by nitrate, pH, grain size (sediment composition), transparency, nymphaeid and submerged vegetation. Urban drainage systems can sustain a macroinvertebrate biodiversity comparable to that of drainage systems in rural areas (ditches and canals) and (semi)natural watercourses (lotic waters such as small streams and rivulets) and can even be a habitat for red list species. To optimize biodiversity values, urban water management should aim at lowering nutrient levels, stimulating vegetation (diversity of habitat structure) and increasing transparency, which are key factors for macroinvertebrate diversity. We show the potential conservation benefits of water systems in urban areas, but further studies are needed to investigate the optimal design of cities to include biodiversity as an integrated part of the urban environment, thereby sustaining a higher biodiversity in an increasingly urbanizing world.