Nitrogen transformations in tropical soils under conventional and sustainable farming systems

Samples of alluvial soil from mixed sandstone shale and slate and of Taiwan clay were collected from two sites, both managed under a similar crop rotation scheme. The fields were further divided into sections which were managed under either conventional farming or sustainable farming practices. When the soil samples were collected in April 1989, after 1 year of operation under conventional or sustainable practices, the nitrification activities of both soils managed under sustainable practices practices. The nitrifying activities in Taiwan clay samples collected in April 1993 which had been managed with chemical or with organic fertilizer were not significantly different. However, nitrifying activity in the alluvial soil was higher under sustainable than under conventional practices. Numbers of NH ₄ ⁺ -oxidizing bacteria were not significantly different in any of the soil samples irrespective of the different management practices. In contrast, higher numbers of NO ₂ ^- -oxidizing bacteria were detected in both soils managed sustainably. The results also indicated that the composition of NH ₄ ⁺ -oxidizing bacteria differed in the alluvial soil when managed with different kinds of fertilizer.     

稻田氮素淋失测定方法的研究进展

氮素淋溶是稻田氮素向周围水体迁移的重要途径,氮以NO3–-N淋溶的形式进入水体,造成的地下水污染问题越来越引起人们的关注,有关稻田氮素淋溶的损失已开展了许多研究,所采用的研究方法不一。本文总结讨论了稻田土壤氮素淋溶的常用测定方法,主要包括土壤溶液提取法、原状土柱法、土钻取样法以及计算机模拟法和同位素示踪等方法,分别对其优缺点以及应用进行了阐述;同时对计算氮素渗漏总量的方法进行了总结,主要包括水分平衡法、达西定律法、小区渗漏池法和大型原状土柱等方法,以期为稻田氮素淋溶损失的相关研究提供技术支持和科学依据。     

Nitrogen cycling in organic farming systems with rotational grass–clover and arable crops

Organic farming is considered an effective means of reducing nitrogen losses compared with more intensive conventional farming systems. However, under certain conditions, organic farming may also be susceptible to large nitrogen (N) losses. This is especially the case for organic dairy farms on sandy soils that use grazed grass–clover in rotation with cereals. A study was conducted on two commercial organic farms on sand and loamy sand soils in Denmark. On each farm, a 3‐year‐old grass–clover field was selected. Half of the field was ploughed the first year and the other half was ploughed the following year. Spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was sown after ploughing in spring. Measurements showed moderate N leaching during the pasture period (9–64 kg N ha^?1 year^?1) but large amounts of leaching in the first (63–216 kg N ha^?1) and second (61–235 kg N ha^?1) year after ploughing. There was a small yield response to manure application on the sandy soil in both the first and second year after ploughing. To investigate the underlying processes affecting the residual effects of pasture and N leaching, the dynamic whole farm model farm assessment tool (FASSET) was used to simulate the treatments on both farms. The simulations agreed with the observed barley N‐uptake. However, for the sandy soil, the simulation of nitrate leaching and mineral nitrogen in the soil deviated considerably from the measurements. Three scenarios with changes in model parameters were constructed to investigate this discrepancy. These scenarios suggested that the organic matter turnover model should include an intermediate pool with a half‐life of about 2–3 years. There might also be a need to include effects of soil disturbance (tillage) on the soil organic matter turnover.     

旱地土壤硝态氮的产生、淋洗迁移及调控措施

如何在保证作物高产的前提下,提高氮肥利用率、减少氮肥损失及其对环境的影响已经成为一个世界性研究课题。硝态氮淋洗是旱地土壤氮素损失去向的重要途径之一,是导致区域性地下水硝酸盐污染的重要原因,已成为全球集约农区重大农业和生态环境问题。明确不同农作系统土壤硝态氮的产生、淋洗过程及影响因素,并进一步提出阻控措施,具有重要的农学和环境意义。在这一方面国内外学者已经开展了长期、大量的研究,并积累了丰富的资料。本文简要综述了旱地土壤硝化作用的微生物驱动过程,比较了当前最为常用的田间原位监测硝态氮淋洗方法的优缺点,分析了影响硝态氮累积和淋洗的各种因素,总结了相应的调控措施,并对今后的研究工作进行展望:加强旱地土壤硝化作用的关键微生物过程、机理以及相关驱动因子调控作用的研究,有助于增加对土壤氮素循环的认识,而这些认识是旱地农作系统进行氮素优化管理和制定硝态氮淋洗阻控技术的重要基础;继续寻找和建立一种扰动更少、维护简单、样品污染更低、尤其适合长期监测的田间原位研究方法,对于准确地揭示旱地土壤硝态氮的淋洗规律和实时通量尤为重要;系统地开展不同旱地农作系统硝态氮淋洗的综合性研究,阐明影响硝态氮累积和淋洗的主要因素,并提出针对性的阻控措施,更符合田间实际,对于降低区域硝态氮淋洗风险意义重大。     

Nitrogen and phosphorus management on Dutch dairy farms: legislation and strategies employed to meet the regulations

 The high input of nutrients through the use of fertilizers, manure and animal feed make it possible to reach high levels of agricultural production. However, high nutrient inputs may also result in large nutrient losses and thus have adverse effects on groundwater, surface water, and the atmosphere. To minimize nutrient emissions from agriculture, the Dutch government has introduced regulations on nutrient use. These include: (1) a ban on spreading animal manure on agricultural land during the winter, (2) the obligation to cover storage facilities for animal manure, (3) compulsory low-emission applications of animal manure to land, and (4) applying levies when the maximum permissible annual N and P surpluses for farms are exceeded. The nutrient surplus is the difference between nutrient input into the farm and nutrient output from the farm. The maximum permissible N surpluses for 2000 are 250 kg N ha^–1 year^–1 and 125 kg N ha^–1 year^–1 for grassland and arable land, respectively, and for P, 35 kg P₂O₅ ha^–1 year^–1 for both grassland and arable land. When the annual permissible levels are exceeded, farmers are charged with a levy. Results obtained at the experimental dairy farm "De Marke" showed that a reduction in nutrient inputs via fertilizers and purchased food, in combination with restricted grazing, reduced the N surplus in such a way that the NO₃ ^– concentration in the groundwater decreased to about the maximum permissible level of 50 mg NO₃ ^– l^–1. Since these results were obtained on a sandy soil that is very sensitive to NO₃ ^– leaching, it is suggested that all dairy farmers should be able to sufficiently reduce NO₃ ^– leaching by improving their farm management. Received: 13 July 1999     

Assessment of tillage strategies to decrease nitrate leaching in the Brimstone Farm Experiment, Oxfordshire, UK

Tillage may influence nitrate losses from agricultural soils. Losses of nitrate were measured in drainflow at 60 cm depth and in combined surface runoff and interflow in the A horizon (=surface layer flow) on hydrologically sealed plots with a two-year comparison (1988–1990) of shallow-tine cultivation vs. mouldboard ploughing. Ploughing increased concentrations and loadings of nitrate in drainflow and surface layer flow, especially in the first year. After these two years the shallow-tined plots were ploughed to plant winter beans (Vicia faba L.), and nitrate in drainflow then increased over the next three winters, slightly exceeding that from the plots which had been ploughed throughout for winter cereals. The composition of the surface layer flow did not show this effect, however. Calculations of net winter mineralisation of soil organic nitrogen showed that shallow-tine cultivation may have decreased mineralisation slightly compared with ploughing in the first two years. These calculations did not indicate any increase in mineralisation for two winters after the minimally cultivated plots were ploughed in autumn 1990, probably because the soil was then very dry. This increase was apparently delayed until the fifth winter (1992/1993), which was much wetter than any since autumn 1990. In the previous eight years (1980–1988) half of the plots had been ploughed and half had been direct drilled. Averaged over the five winters 1988/1989–1992/1993, the five measures of nitrate loss in drainflow from plots previously direct drilled were 6–57% more than from plots previously ploughed, and winter mineralisation was 20% more, with no evidence of any decline in either with time. The nitrate produced by mineralisation of organic matter conserved by the eight years of direct drilling was mainly lost by leaching or denitrification; it was of little or no benefit to the crops. The results suggest that in the long term more nitrate is leached from land subject to periods of minimal or zero tillage and ploughing than from land ploughed every year.     

高速发展的东南沿海地区资源与环境质量变化与可持续发展调整战略

Problems in water-land resources and environmental quality increase with the fast economic development in the coastal region of southeastern China,This region has the highest density in population,industry and towns in China,and the large export-oriented economy makes itself a strategic importance while China enters into international markets.The problems facing to this region include arable land reduction,land degradation aggravation,high percentage of built-up land with high rate of expansion,expanded non-point pollution,deteriorated water quality,decreasing biodiversity,destroyed ecosystems,sever air pollution,frequently occurred acid rain,and multi-pollutants.The important reaarch fields in the near future should include a )influence of high-intensity exploitaion of resources on changes of environment quality and its feedback;b) influence processes ,key mechanisms and adjustment principles for degradation of water,land-,and air-resources and environmental quality;c)evolvement processes and nurturing theory of bioiversity and ecological resourcs;and d) spatio-temporal variaiton and human-induced effects on regional resources and environment quality .Strategies for sustainable development in the region are as follows:a) controlling to ensure basic cultivated land area;b) enforcing remediation of polluted water environment,and controlling non-point pollution;c) strengthening ecological construciton and ecological security;and d) controlling multi-pollution and preventing trace toxic pollutants.     

Soil fertility in three cropping systems after conversion from conventional to organic farming

Abstract

Temporal changes in the scores of selected soil fertility indices were studied over six years in three different cases of organic crop rotation located in southern, eastern and central Norway. The cropping history and the initial scores of fertility indices prior to conversion to organic cropping differed between the sites. Crop yields, regarded as an overall, integrating fertility indicator, were in all rotations highly variable with few consistent temporal trends following the first year after conversion. On the site in eastern Norway, where conversion followed several years of all-arable crop rotations, earthworm number and biomass and soil physical properties improved, whereas the system was apparently degrading with regard to P and K trade balances and contents in soil. On the other two sites, the picture was less clear. On the southern site, which had a relatively fertile soil before conversion, the contents of soil organic matter and K decreased during the six-year period, but the scores of other fertility indices showed no trends. On the site in central Norway, there were positive trends for earthworm-related indices such as worm biomass and tubular biopores, and negative trends for soil porosity. The results, especially those from the eastern site, illustrate the general difficulty in drawing conclusions about overall fertility or sustainability when partial indicators show divergent trends. Consequently, the study gave no unambiguous support to the initial working hypothesis that organic farming increases inherent overall soil fertility, but rather showed that the effect varied among indicators and depended on status of the cases at conversion. It is concluded that indicators are probably better used as tools to learn about and improve system components than as absolute measures of sustainability.     

F-box蛋白家族在植物抗逆响应中的作用机制

SCF复合体泛素连接酶E3介导的泛素化蛋白降解是翻译后水平上对生命进程进行调控的一个重要方式。它的关键组分F-box蛋白负责识别被降解的靶底物蛋白。植物F-box基因家族成员众多,极具多样性。F-box蛋白N端常含F-box基序,C端常为蛋白互作保守结构域,该结构具多样性,可识别不同底物,是F-box蛋白分类的依据。研究表明,F-box蛋白参与调控植物的许多生命进程,包括抗逆反应。本文就近年来F-box蛋白在植物抗逆反应中的作用机制进行总结。F-box蛋白大多以SCF复合体泛素连接酶E3介导的泛素化蛋白降解目标蛋白的方式调控抗逆反应,也有不依赖形成SCF复合体的方式行使功能,不少F-box蛋白参与了植物激素信号传导,通过调控转录因子活性而改变下游基因的表达,由此影响了植物的抗逆反应。基因表达谱的生物信息学预测表明,大多数F-box基因参与了植物抗逆反应,目前只有其中一小部分已报道了其抗逆调节功能。在此综述了这些F-box蛋白在植物抗逆胁迫中的研究进展。在干旱和盐碱胁迫反应中,F-box基因常通过影响植物激素脱落酸、乙烯等植物激素信号传导而调控抗逆。由于干旱和盐碱胁迫具协同性,不少F-box基因同时参与抗旱和抗盐碱胁迫,但调节方式有所不同,一些F-box基因对抗干旱和盐碱的反应具协同性,从总体上调控植物的渗透胁迫和离子毒害反应;而另一些F-box基因对干旱和盐胁迫反应的调节作用相反,它们可能在植物抗逆的精细调节中起作用。在低温胁迫反应中,F-box蛋白可调节植物抗低温的CBF信号途径。在生物胁迫反应中,F-box基因常通过影响植物激素茉莉酸和水杨酸途径来调控抗病,病原菌也以攻击植物SCF复合体使植物致病。此外,植物激素信号途径之间相互作用,共同影响抗逆反应。     

Enhanced biological cycling of phosphorus increases its availability to crops in low-input sub-Saharan farming systems

Many soils in sub-Saharan Africa, which are farmed by smallholders, are P deficient and highly P fixing. Furthermore, P inputs supplied as farmyard manure (FYM) or inorganic P fertilizer are normally too small to replace P offtakes by crops. Consequently most soils are in a negative P balance, which is reflected in small, and often declining, crop yields. The obvious solution of simply applying adequate P is seldom an option due to shortages of manure, which is usually low in nutrients in any case, and the high cost of inorganic P fertilizer relative to the likely cash value of the harvest. Our aim was to see if we could devise practical methods to increase soil P availability in this situation and to investigate the mechanisms involved. Two approaches were adopted. Firstly, to attempt to saturate the P-fixing sites in the soils by applying a large annual application of P (75 kg P ha⁻¹), which should serve for several seasons. Secondly, to attempt to keep the fertilizer P in biological forms by supplying fertilizer P and cattle manure (FYM) in combination. Here, the aim was to promote the cycling of P through the soil microbial biomass and associated metabolite pools, with the expected result of decreasing P fixation and increased plant availability of this P. These treatments were investigated using two field sites on smallholder farms in Kenya: one, considered a ‘high P fixing’ soil at Malava (Kakamega District) and one considered a ‘low P fixing’ soil at Mau Summit (Nakuru District). The following treatments were applied in 1997 and 1998: nil; 75 kg P ha⁻¹ as super phosphate (P); 25 kg P ha⁻¹; FYM at 1.9 t ha⁻¹ dry matter; FYM+25 kg P ha⁻¹. All treatments also received 100 kg inorganic N ha⁻¹. Maize was the test crop. There was no significant correlation in either year at either site between soil P, measured as NaHCO₃-extractable P, resin P or NaOH-extractable P and maize yield. However, the different soil P fractions were closely correlated with each other. Yields at the high P rate (75 kg ha⁻¹y⁻¹) were often little better than the control. There was, however, a significant positive relationship (P<0.05) between soil microbial biomass P and crop yield, again at both sites and in both years. The treatment giving the best yield and the largest biomass P was always FYM+P. Our results indicate that the combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers in these low input systems may promote increased biological cycling, enhanced availability and consequently improved plant uptake of soil and fertiliser P, to the advantage of the small scale farmer. The results also indicate that biomass P measurements may provide a better indicator of soil P availability in these soils than some more conventional chemical extractants. However, both findings require further evaluation.     

Environmental consequences of land degradation in coastal drainage basins of north Queensland,Australia: Influence of farming practices

Views expressed by sugar cane farmers in the Johnstone Rivers system, north Queensland, are consistent with the broader community concern about the potentially adverse ecological effects of point source discharges to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. the main link between agricultural land use and the deterioration of surface and groundwater quality in the region is perceived by the farmers to be a consequence of the influence exerted by new farm management strategies and economic constraints on local environmental variables, particularly soils. the effectiveness of the land use practices in relation to land capability and productivity thresholds is considered by farmers to be essential for developing new farm management strategies and for improving water quality in the north Queensland coastal regions. as a result of increasing inhomogeneity of land use practices involving the application of chemicals, catchment based investigation, including systematic interviews with the land users, is needed for the development of reliable databases on problems related to the discharge of agricultural chemicals to coastal waters.     

Nitrogen and sulphur management: challenges for organic sources in temperate agricultural systems

Abstract. A current global trend towards intensification or specialization of agricultural enterprises has been accompanied by increasing public awareness of associated environmental consequences. Air and water pollution from losses of nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S), are a major concern. Governments have initiated extensive regulatory frameworks, including various land use policies, in an attempt to control or reduce the losses. This paper presents an overview of critical input and loss processes affecting N and S for temperate climates, and provides some background to the discussion in subsequent papers evaluating specific farming systems. Management effects on potential gaseous and leaching losses, the lack of synchrony between supply of nutrients and plant demand, and options for optimizing the efficiency of N and S use are reviewed. Integration of inorganic and organic fertilizer inputs and the equitable re-distribution of nutrients from manure are discussed. The paper concludes by highlighting a need for innovative research that is also targeted to practical approaches for reducing N and S losses, and improving the overall synchrony between supply and demand.     

Land use capability classification adaptation in low and intermediate technology farming systems: A soil erosion indicator

Land classification assists in identifying optimal crop selection for a given field, and land use capability gives an indication of potential agronomic productivity. However, these approaches are most germane to farming systems managed with high technology. This study sought to adapt land use capability to farming systems managed with low and intermediate levels of technology. Assessment of the classification criteria was conducted using erosion data as a primary indicator. The adapted (and currently in effect) criteria were compared in three regions in Minas Gerais, Brazil, each one representing one of the management levels. Erosion often results from inappropriate practices in land use or management. Therefore, maps of adequacy of land use and management were used to measure how well each one corresponded to the erosion map. The adapted criteria changed the spatial distribution of the classes of land use capability in different ways. Correspondence between the land use/management map and the erosion map increased from 71% to 88.5% when the criteria adapted to an intermediate level of management were used. It also increased from 62.9% to 66.7% when the criteria adapted to a low level of management were considered, better reflecting current erosion. Therefore, adopting adapted classification criteria is recommended for planning land use in locations where farming systems with low and intermediate levels of management are common, requiring re‐adaptation and reassessment depending on socio‐environmental factors.     

小麦籽粒Zn、Fe、Mn、Cu含量的基因型和环境差异及与产量关系的研究

小麦籽粒中微量营养元素含量的高低直接关系到植株的生长发育和人们的饮食健康。本研究以来自河南省5个地区的17个小麦品种(系)为材料,采用酸消解-原子吸收分光光度法测定了籽粒中Zn、Fe、Mn、Cu含量,分析了籽粒微量元素含量的基因型和环境差异及其与产量性状的相关关系。结果表明,小麦籽粒Zn、Fe、Mn、Cu含量分别为38.39±12.57μg·g-1、79.13±49.45μg·g-1、35.24±11.72μg·g-1和4.84±0.78μg·g-1,籽粒Fe含量的变异系数最大,Cu含量的变异系数最小。方差分析表明,基因型、环境以及基因型与环境的互作对籽粒微量元素含量的影响均达极显著水平。对于籽粒Zn、Mn、Cu含量,环境因素的影响起主要作用;对于籽粒Fe含量,基因型与环境互作的影响是主要的。依照Eberhart-Russell模型分析了籽粒微量元素含量的品种稳定性,结果表明籽粒微量元素含量相对稳定的品种,其含量通常较低;在参试17个品种中,"濮99084"籽粒微量元素含量的环境稳定性较高。相关分析表明,籽粒微量元素含量与蛋白质含量呈遗传正相关,与千粒重呈遗传负相关,与产量呈表型正相关,表明同步提高籽粒微量元素含量、蛋白质含量及籽粒产量是可行的。     

Sustainable land and water management policies and practices: a pathway to environmental sustainability in large irrigation systems

Water cycle, land management, and environmental sustainability are intimately linked. Sustainable land and water management practices are vital for sustaining agricultural productivity and regional development. Unsustainable land and water management practices that violate the system's carrying capacity constraint over long periods can impose significant costs in terms of lost opportunities in farm production and regional development, say by causing waterlogging and salinity. On‐farm and regional salt and water balance dynamics are modeled as a sustainability or carrying capacity constraint, proxied by regional salt and water balance; on‐farm land and water management practices are then adjusted to meet the constraint, such that individual actions do not lead to a net change in the ground water and salt balance. Common actions across the farms would achieve the overall environmental sustainability. An irrigated area in southern Murray‐Darling Basin in Australia serves as a case study example. Integrated hydrologic, economic, agricultural, and environmental models called SWAGMAN series are used to evaluate the impacts of a range of on‐farm interventions on farm income and environmental sustainability. The results show that policies such as restrictions on area under certain crops, and tradable groundwater recharge/salinity credits both offer higher total gross margin and net present value than the business as usual scenario, specifically in the long run—win–win options for the farmers and the environment. The modeling results thus confirm the widely held view that unsustainable land and water management practices that violate the system's carrying capacity can impose significant costs on regional communities. In‐depth hydrological and economic analyses are needed to shape and guide society's vision for sustainable land and water management. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil microbial biomass and activity in organic tomato farming systems: Effects of organic inputs and straw mulching

Organic farming is rapidly expanding worldwide. Plant growth in organic systems greatly depends on the functions performed by soil microbes, particularly in nutrient supply. However, the linkages between soil microbes and nutrient availability in organically managed soils are not well understood. We conducted a long-term field experiment to examine microbial biomass and activity, and nutrient availability under four management regimes with different organic inputs. The experiment was initiated in 1997 by employing different practices of organic farming in a coastal sandy soil in Clinton, NC, USA. Organic practices were designed by applying organic substrates with different C and N availability, either in the presence or absence of wheat-straw mulch. The organic substrates used included composted cotton gin trash (CGT), animal manure (AM) and rye/vetch green manure (RV). A commercial synthetic fertilizer (SF) was used as a conventional control. Results obtained in both 2001 and 2002 showed that microbial biomass and microbial activity were generally higher in organically than conventionally managed soils with CGT being most effective. The CGT additions increased soil microbial biomass C and activity by 103-151% and 88-170% over a period of two years, respectively, leading to a 182-285% increase in potentially mineralizable N, compared to the SF control. Straw mulching further enhanced microbial biomass, activity, and potential N availability by 42, 64, and 30%, respectively, relative to non-mulched soils, likely via improving C and water availability for soil microbes. The findings that microbial properties and N availability for plants differed under different organic input regimes suggest the need for effective residue managements in organic tomato farming systems.     

The role of social capital in the promotion of conservation farming: the case of ‘landcare’ in the Southern Philippines

‘Social capital’ refers to the relationships of trust, communication, and cooperation that facilitate collective action in a community. It is particularly relevant to soil conservation in developing countries, which requires collective efforts to raise awareness of soil degradation, provide effective training in soil conservation practices, and implement soil conservation measures on individual farms. The Landcare Program in the Southern Philippines promotes simple conservation practices in upland environments through establishing and supporting community landcare groups and municipal landcare associations, thus augmenting the social capital of farmers in these locations. An evaluation of the Landcare Program in Barangay Ned, South Cotabato, based on a survey of 313 farm households and case studies of nine landcare groups, shows that, despite extreme isolation and difficult working conditions, farmers responded by rapidly forming landcare groups and a landcare association, and adopting contour barriers on their maize farms. They utilized the bonding social capital inhering in their local communities to build stocks of bridging social capital, linking them to information, training and resources from outside their immediate locality. A logistic regression model of the factors affecting adoption of contour barriers shows that farmers who had undergone the practical, farmer‐based training provided by the Landcare Program, and who were members of a landcare group, were significantly more likely to adopt conservation measures. These results confirm the value of investing in social capital to promote soil conservation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Management of Grazing Intensity in the Semi‐Arid Rangelands of Southern Australia: Effects on Soil and Biodiversity

Overgrazing contributes to rangeland degradation altering plant community composition, erosion and biodiversity. Little unanimity in the literature exists on the effects of livestock grazing on soil carbon and biodiversity, in part, due to uncontrolled grazing pressure from native and feral animals. Paired paddock contrasts at three, long‐term (>8 years) study locations in the southern Australian rangelands were used to examine the effects of managing grazing intensity through the use of exclusion fencing and rotational grazing on soil organic carbon (SOC), soil nitrogen (TN), ground cover and biodiversity (flora and invertebrates). Grazing management had no effect on SOC or TN on grey soils (Vertisols), but for red soils (Lixisols), significantly higher levels of SOC were found for both the 0 to 5 and 5 to 10‐cm soil depths (0·3% and 0·27% respectively) and associated with increased TN. We found strong and consistent relationships among SOC and higher perennial (p < 0·001), higher litter (p < 0·05) cover and close proximity to trees (p < 0·05). Managing grazing intensity resulted in significantly higher perennial ground cover (p < 0·001) on Vertisols (8·9 to 11%) and Lixisols (12·5 to 15%) and higher plant diversity (both native and exotic) but negatively impacted invertebrate diversity, indicating trade‐offs between production and resources. We provide evidence that the effects of grazing management on SOC are mediated by ground cover and increased organic matter supply and/or reduced soil carbon redistribution (erosion), which indicates that the management of grazing intensity may provide a tool to avoid soil carbon loss in rangelands. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Small mammals in agricultural landscapes: Opposing responses to farming practices and landscape complexity

Organic farming often counteracts the decline of various taxa owing to agricultural intensification, but little is known about the relative importance of local management and landscape context for small mammals. We examined the abundance, species richness and diversity of small mammal communities in 22 organically and conventionally managed winter wheat fields pairwise located along a gradient of landscape structural complexity (41–94% arable land). Complex landscapes significantly increased small mammal abundance and (with marginal significance) species richness and diversity, but only in conventional fields, whereas organic farming increased small mammals in simple landscapes. These results indicate the importance of landscape complexity for small mammal populations in an intensified agriculture. Analyses at multiple spatial scales (100 m, 250 m, 500 m radii around focal fields), showed opposing responses of the three most abundant species to landscape complexity. Apodemus agrarius PALLAS abundance increased with increasing landscape complexity at a spatial scale of 100 m, whereas Microtus arvalis PALLAS and Sorex araneus L. abundances decreased with increasing landscape complexity at spatial scales of 100 m and 500 m, respectively, suggesting species-specific ecological needs as well as functional spatial scales for conservation management. In conclusion, agri-environmental measures for small mammals such as organic farming are most effective in simple landscapes, while complex landscapes presumably function as source habitats and can compensate for local agricultural intensification in conventional fields.