Relationships between site characteristics, farming system and biodiversity on Australian mixed farms
Kerry Bridle A D , Margy Fitzgerald B , David Green B , Janet Smith C , Peter McQuillan B and Ted Lefroy CA Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 98, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.
B School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 78, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.
C Centre for Environment, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: kerry.bridle@utas.edu.au
Animal Production Science 49(10) 869-882 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN09042
Submitted: 12 March 2009 Accepted: 3 June 2009 Published: 16 September 2009
Abstract
A collaborative project between researchers, regional natural resource management organisations and landholders set out to explore three questions about the relationships between biodiversity and land use in Australia’s mixed-farming landscapes: (1) the extent to which farm-scale measures of biodiversity were related to agricultural production; (2) the influence of the type and intensity of agricultural production on native biodiversity on farms; and (3) the relative influence of site and farming system on selected measures of biodiversity. Four land-use types on 47 mixed farms across nine regions, derived from several of Australia’s 56 natural resource management regions, were surveyed in autumn and spring 2006 and 2007. Surveys of birds, surface invertebrates (beetles, ants, spiders), vegetation and soils were undertaken on four land classes on each farm; crop, ‘rotation’ (break crop/pasture phase), perennial pasture and remnant vegetation. Data were collected by participating regional staff, using a standard protocol, which were sent to a central collection point for collation, analysis and interpretation.
Species richness, functional diversity and vegetation structure were assessed. This introductory paper focuses on results relating to species richness, which for most taxa was greater in remnant vegetation than other land-use classes and declined along a disturbance gradient (remnant, pasture, rotation, crop). Properties with a greater proportion of perennial pastures recorded higher species richness than properties that were dominated by crop. Properties that recorded high wheat yields (t/ha) also recorded lower species richness for spiders and birds. The presence of insectivorous birds and beneficial invertebrates (spiders, beetles and ants) in all land-use classes suggests the potential to apply integrated pest management approaches to mixed-farming systems across the country.
Site and system features were found to be important determinants of biodiversity, with their relative importance varying with the scale of investigation and the taxa. At the landscape scale, bird species richness was correlated with the amount of remnant vegetation within a 5-km radius of the farm boundary, and with the condition of native vegetation on the farm. The average size of remnant vegetation patches was 5 ha or less on nearly half of the properties surveyed. At the farm scale, ant species richness was correlated with site features, while beetles were correlated with management/system features such as the presence and fertility of perennial pastures.
Analyses at the functional group level will provide more detailed information on relationships between different land-use types. Further experimental work needs to be undertaken to qualify the suggested impact of land management practices on different taxa, while repeated surveys will allow for the collation of datasets over time, from which population dynamics may be determined.
Acknowledgements
The BiGG project included contributions from over 100 people. These included 47 landholders; GG regional staff and coordinators; students from two schools (Eyre Peninsula); researchers associated with other GG projects (national and regional); Birds Australia Atlas volunteers; State and CMA staff involved in providing GIS information; the research group at the University of Tasmania (Richard Mount, Tore Pederson, Arko Lucieer, Michael Lacey, Jessica Benjamin, Jason Hon, Martin Line and Ross Corkrey) and the project’s Steering Committee. Logistic support was provided by administration staff at the University of Tasmania, in the regions and from the National GG Program team. Contributions from all of these people were greatly appreciated. The following researchers are acknowledged for their contribution to the data collation, analyses and interpretation of the ecological datasets; Professor Jann Williams, Dr Gupta Vadakattu and Dr Alan House. The following people are thanked for their personal communications with components of this work: Dr Hayley Norman, CSIRO; Dr Dean Revell, CSIRO; and Dr Theodore Evans, CSIRO. Dr Ron Hacker is thanked for his valuable comments on the draft manuscript. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the valuable, supportive contribution of the Steering Committee; Dr Alan House, Professor Jann Williams, Cameron Allan, John Lumb and Dr Warren Mason.
Andersen AN
(1995) A classification of Australian ant communities, based on functional groups which parallel plant life-forms in relation to stress and disturbance. Journal of Biogeography 22, 15–29.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[Verified 5 December 2008]
Bromham L,
Cardillo M,
Bennett AF, Elgar MA
(1999) Effects of stock grazing on the ground invertebrate fauna of woodland remnants. Australian Journal of Ecology 24, 199–207.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[Verified 5 December 2008]
Michaels KF
(2007) Using staphylinid and tenebrionid beetles as indicators of sustainable landscape management in Australia: a review. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47, 435–449.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Noss RF
(1990) Indicators for monitoring biodiversity: a hierarchical approach. Conservation Biology 4, 355–364.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Oberg S,
Mayr S, Dauber J
(2008) Landscape effects on recolonisation patterns of spiders in arable fields. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 123, 211–218.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pocock MJO, Jennings N
(2008) Testing biotic indicator taxa: the sensitivity of insectivorous mammals and their prey to the intensification of lowland agriculture. Journal of Applied Ecology 45, 151–160.
Price RJ, Hacker RB
(2009) Grain & Graze: an innovative triple bottom line approach to collaborative and multidisciplinary mixed-farming systems research, development and extension. Animal Production Science 49, 729–735.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Radford JQ,
Bennett AF, Cheers GJ
(2005) Landscape-level thresholds of habitat cover for woodland-dependent birds. Biological Conservation 124, 317–337.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Read JL, Andersen AN
(2000) The value of ants as early warning bioindicators: responses to pulsed cattle grazing at an Australian arid zone locality. Journal of Arid Environments 45, 231–251.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tsitsilas A,
Stuckey S,
Hoffmann AA,
Weeks AR, Thomson LJ
(2006) Shelterbelts in agricultural landscapes suppress invertebrate pests. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, 1379–1388.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Weibull AC,
Ostman O, Granqvist A
(2003) Species richness in agroecosystems: the effect of landscape, habitat and farm management. Biodiversity and Conservation 12, 1335–1355.
| Crossref |
Wilson AD
(1990) The effect of grazing on Australian ecosystems. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 16, 235–244.
Wilson WL,
Abernethy VJ,
Murphy KJ,
Adam A,
McCracken DI,
Downie IS,
Foster GN,
Furness RW,
Waterhouse A, Ribera I
(2003) Prediction of plant diversity response to land-use change on Scottish agricultural land. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 94, 249–263.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Woinarski JCZ,
Andersen AN,
Churchill TB, Ash AJ
(2002) Response of ant and terrestrial spider assemblages to pastoral and military land use, and to landscape position, in a tropical savanna woodland in northern Australia. Austral Ecology 27, 324–333.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Woodcock BA,
Potts SG,
Pilgrim E,
Ramsay AJ,
Tscheulin T,
Parkinson A,
Smith REN,
Gundrey AL,
Brown VK, Tallowin JR
(2007) The potential of grass field margin establishment for enhancing beetle diversity in intensive livestock farms. Journal of Applied Ecology 44, 60–69.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
